The Quest for Rachel Berry's Heart
by teeney8040
Summary: What happens after the girls' performance in 'Never Been Kissed' if Quinn and Santana both seem to notice how hot Rachel looks in leather?   Being Quinn and Santana, they compete for her.  Will she fall for one of them or stay with Finn? Pezberry/Fabery
1. Chapter 1

A.N. I've wanted to write this one for a while but never had quite the right setting and time for it to work. Now I think I have it. Enjoy!

**XX**

Santana tugged her best friend through her bedroom door, flinging the door shut and then pressing Brittany against it and kissing her deeply, loving the way the blonde giggled against her lips.

Santana was desperate.

Her hands set to work immediately to get Brittany's mash up costume off. She tugged on Brittany's leather jacket, yanking it from her body and letting it fall to the floor, pulling her own off as she went. Their lips remained locked in a desperate kiss as they both tried to rid themselves of the tight leather pants they had on.

She had to burn an image from her brain and Brittany was going to help her do it.

Her arms rose automatically when Brittany pulled the top of her costume over her head.

_The girls were in the middle of their performance. The guitar solo before the final chorus and Rachel was on all fours directly in front of her. It was like Hairography part 2._

_And that's when she noticed how totally hot Rachel Berry looked in leather._

Santana shook the image from her brain as she continued to undress Brittany, still kissing her with everything she had in her.

She had to get that image from her brain.

Brittany giggled again. Just a small one and she pulled back. "Why are you shaking your head?"

Santana blinked. She shook her head and kissed Brittany again, her hands working on the last few items Brittany still had on. "Nothing, B. Everything's fine."

Brittany nodded. She pulled Santana towards the bed, the two of them tumbling onto the mattress in a mess of limbs.

They were breathing harder now. Their touches and kisses more desperate. Brittany's hands were fisted in Santana's hair, keeping her close, keeping their eyes locked.

_Santana glanced down the line of girls, desperately seeking Brittany's eye amongst the sea of leather. Instead her eyes landed on Rachel. Her right hand still holding her microphone over her head, basking in the triumphant moment that was swirling around all of them. The smile on her face. The way her chest heaved._

"Santana, are you okay?"

Her eyes opened and widened.

In that moment Santana was definitely _not_ okay.

It had been Brittany's voice that had spoken to her, but beneath her she found Rachel _freaking_ Berry where Brittany had just been. Her lips kiss-swollen, her hair mused and fanned out across Santana's pillow, her eyes confused.

"San?" It was Brittany's voice coming from her mouth.

It was _weird_.

Santana rolled over and sat up, blinking, the palms of her hands rubbing her eyes furiously. She flinched away when a hand rested on her bare shoulder and when she turned she was relieved to find it was Brittany in her bed again.

Great. Now she was hallucinating.

"S," Brittany cooed gently, her hand rubbing circles on her best friend's back. "Is it me?"

The question broke Santana's heart a little and she shook her head immediately and turned to the blonde, kissing her quickly.

"It's definitely me," Santana assured her softly. "I promise."

Brittany smiled wickedly after a moment and she maneuvered herself so she was straddling Santana's lap, wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck, kissing her soundly. "Anything I can do?"

Santana kissed her back, trying desperately to get back into that moment. But the moment she closed her eyes she was picturing kissing Rachel and wondering what Rachel would look like in the state of undress that she and Brittany were currently in.

She sighed and fell back to the bed. Brittany mistook the action and crawled up Santana's body, dropping kisses as she did.

Santana grasped her wrists and shook her head. "I can't, B."

Brittany halted all movement and dropped to the bed, her chin resting on Santana's belly as her fingers drew gentle patterns above the brunette's navel. Her face was confused again. "San, what's going on?"

Santana shook her head. "I just have a lot on my mind, B." _Yeah, kissing Rachel Berry. WTF? _"I promise it's not you at all. You know I love you."

Brittany's face broke out into a grin. She loved it when Santana said that. "I love you too."

Santana sat up and kissed her, rolling off the bed, heading for her closet to get dressed. "I have to run out for a bit. Want me to drive you home?"

Brittany nodded happily as she got up and began getting dressed as well. "Sure."

**XX**

**A.N. **That was just Santana's POV. Up next we'll have Quinn's side of things. I'm still undecided as to who Rachel will end up with. If you have an opinion, let me have it please! Also let me know your thoughts on this one. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Okay, part 2. Quinn's reaction to things. Enjoy!

**XX**

Quinn came home to an empty house.

It was the same every day. Her mother was enjoying her newfound freedom and had been dating every chance she got. Sure, her mom had lured her home with false promises of family and togetherness and trying to make it all right.

What a bunch of crap.

They barely spoke. Perhaps it was the years of waiting for Russell Fabray to speak first and then to simply answer him. Perhaps it was the rift that had formed between them when Quinn realized how alone she truly was back then. How her mother sacrificed her for Russell. Perhaps it was the regret that flashed in Judy's eyes every time she saw Quinn that made Quinn wonder if she regretted throwing her out or asking her to come back.

Either way it was suffocating. So they simply didn't speak unless it was absolutely necessary.

Quinn got her bedroom back with her clothes and her car and her computer. She got her life back. She got her Cheerios uniform and the cutest guy in school, back in Coach's good graces and even some of her old friends.

But she kind of missed the old ones.

Mercedes wasn't comfortable in her house. Not since the time Russell had shown up unexpectedly in the middle of the afternoon, completely drunk, to confront his soon to be ex wife and seen Mercedes and Quinn in the kitchen. One drop of the N-bomb from her father had been enough for Mercedes to keep her distance.

Sometimes she missed being an outcast. She missed the freedom of wearing her own clothes to school and being able to talk to whomever she wanted to without the fear that someone would knock her down a social peg or two.

She missed Mercedes and Kurt the most. Especially after the weird afternoon she was having. Having Kurt to talk to would have been especially nice.

The mash up competition had gone so well that the guys would have to have Usher himself perform with them to beat the girls this year. They were that good.

And they looked amazing.

That was the part that had her freaking out. All the girls looked fantastic in their outfits.

_Especially Rachel._

She was trying not to freak out. She had protested in rehearsals about having to stand next to Rachel for the end of the number but when they had performed for real, she had barely been able to keep her eyes off the diva singing next to her.

She had seen enough of Rachel during the Britney Spears week and she knew that the brunette had an amazing body. And Quinn herself had many nights denying that she found any part of Rachel Berry attractive.

Denial was a game she was a master at.

But it seemed that fate decided that Quinn was its bitch and wanted to make her suffer further. Because an afternoon with Rachel Berry wearing what she'd been wearing and looking the way she had all afternoon had Quinn wallowing in denial once again.

It was getting a little out of hand.

A ring of her doorbell snapped her out of her thoughts and she was completely grateful. When she pulled the door open she was surprised to find Santana on the other side. Things had been rather frosty between the two of them since the day Coach let her back on the squad and she and Santana had a fight in the hallway at school.

"Hey, Preggers," Santana greeted as she pushed through the door.

Quinn rolled her eyes and shut the door. "Not pregnant anymore, remember?"

"Whatever," Santana mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "So, I've been thinking and I think we should call a truce."

"Why would we do that?" Quinn asked.

Santana shrugged. "Separate, we're powerful, there's no question about that. But together? We're kind of invincible. You know it, I know it."

Quinn considered this for a moment. "No more Preggers from you."

"Fine," Santana agreed with a shrug. "So we're good?"

Quinn nodded. "We're good."

Some people would have found it strange the way the two of them worked, but it was how it had always been between them. Since first grade.

"Good," Santana breathed. "Because I have a giant Rachel Berry-sized problem."

Quinn's eyes went wide, wondering if Rachel had brain washed them all into thinking about her. It was a little weird that she herself had her own Rachel problem. "What's she done now? Steal Puck from you?"

Santana snorted. "Yeah right." She grew serious. "This stays between us." Quinn nodded. "Was it just me or did she look _really_ good today?"

Quinn raised her eyebrow, trying to swallow her panic. Did Santana suddenly gain the ability to read minds?

It was eerie.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Quinn asked honestly.

"I know, right?" Santana wondered, suddenly pacing the floor in front of Quinn. "I was totally freaked out by it so me and B went back to mine and started fooling around and then I hallucinated that Brit was Rachel. It was fucked up."

Quinn looked at her suspiciously. Maybe she'd been talking to herself and Santana had been listening outside her window or something and was messing with her. "I'm supposed to believe that you have a crush on Rachel?"

Santana glanced around and scowled. "Will you keep it down?" She sighed. "I have no idea where the hell this even came from. And don't call it a crush. I just happen to think she looks hot in leather and part of my brain wonders what she looks like _without_ the leather on."

Quinn shook her head "Don't be gross."

Santana shot her a half-glare. "You've done the dirty deed, Quinn. Stop acting all holy roller just because you want to get back in everyone's good graces. They can see right through it and that's why you're still not on top."

"Neither are you," Quinn sneered back.

Santana shrugged. "Maybe not the top of the cheerleading pyramid, but the social pyramid is quite comfortable."

"I remember," Quinn growled. "I also remember that it was me that dragged you to the top."

"Whatever," Santana dismissed with a wave of her hand. "This is getting us nowhere on the Man Hands front. What the hell are we going to do about it?"

A thought suddenly occurred to Quinn. "You say they can all see right through me?"

Santana nodded. "Totally."

A slim eyebrow rose as her plan grew wings in her head and took off. "Well maybe rehabilitating my image wasn't exactly the right route to go. Maybe my image needs to be shaken up."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Santana wondered.

"Maybe I need to do something that no on expects," Quinn explained. "Like date a girl."

"Rachel being that girl?" Suddenly Quinn's plan sounded terrible to Santana. "You do remember she's dating your ex _boyfriend_."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Finn has the emotional capacity of a banana. We both know how high maintenance Rachel is. If she has someone suddenly tuning in to all her wants and needs I'm positive that she'll dump him in the first puddle she finds outside and go out with me instead."

Santana's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Well what about me?"

Quinn's eyebrow rose slowly. "What about you?"

"I just told you that I'm hallucinating about her," Santana reminded her slowly. "What if I like her too?"

"You want to get in her pants," Quinn clarified. "Not the same as liking her."

"You just want to use her for your image," Santana shot back. "You don't like her either."

"I could," Quinn argued.

"So could I," Santana growled.

The girls seemed to realize their situation simultaneously and both took a step back. They eyed each other for a moment.

"Terms?" Quinn asked, as if this had been done before.

Santana pondered a moment. "Three months. Whoever gets her virginity wins."

Quinn's eyes narrowed. "No. We both date her for three months and let her decide who wins. Christmas Eve."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Fine. Winner gets the top of the pyramid, too. Permanently."

"Fine," Quinn agreed. She had this in the bag.

They shook on their bet with a nod.

"I'm so kicking your ass, Fabray," Santana sang as she headed for the front door.

"Not a chance, Lopez," Quinn called after her.

**XX**

**A.N. **Hmmm…how will this play out at school? We'll just have to wait and see. Want more? Drop me a note. Have an opinion on who you prefer Rachel with? Drop me a note. Any and all notes appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Okay, first let me just say holy crap! You guys and the reviews! Awesome! I'm really glad to get such a positive response to this story and it's been on my mind for the last three days working out details and such. I should also point out that if you have any ideas or suggestions or anything you'd like to see in this one please drop me a note and I'll see what I can do!

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Hey, Rach," Quinn greeted with a smile the next morning. She leaned against the locker next to the diva's.

Rachel looked at her, confusion etching across her features. She glanced down the hallway to her left then her right to see who was watching for what was surely a set up for some plan to humiliate her. "Hi, Quinn."

Quinn seemed to understand what she had been doing and she laughed. "Relax. I come in peace."

Rachel smiled a little at that, but her eyes still looked hesitant. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing." Quinn shook her head, a tiny smile still on her lips. "I just wanted to say that I like the skirt you're wearing today. I wish I had legs like yours."

Rachel stood completely dumbfounded. Quinn was complimenting her. Not just her wardrobe, but her _body_.

It was weird.

"Uh, thank you," Rachel replied after a stunned moment of silence. "I pride myself on keeping up a rigorous workout routine every morning before school."

Quinn swept her eyes over Rachel's form from head to toe and nodded. "I can tell."

Rachel had seen that look before. When Britney Spears had practically taken over glee club that week. When she'd walked down the hall in that schoolgirl outfit she had seen several people looking at her the way Quinn was that moment.

It was pure want.

Rachel swallowed hard, her heart thundering in her chest. For once in her life she was rendered speechless.

Quinn laughed again and dropped a gentle hand to her forearm. "I'll see you later."

Rachel nodded, still unable to think.

"Karofsky!" Santana's voice bellowed down the hall, scaring Rachel and causing the huge jock to halt. He turned and she was stalking his way, Brittany trailing behind her. "What the hell do you think you're you doing?"

He pointed to Rachel. "Loser. Slushie."

Santana scowled at him and tipped the cup into his face before he could even register what had happened. She grinned when he sputtered.

"What the hell!" he roared, his face turning bright red.

Santana cocked her hip and crossed her arms, nodding her head in Rachel's direction. "She's off limits." She looked up and down the hall, pointing to Rachel and addressed the student body, all of them watching at this point. "Hear me? Rachel is off limits from now on. You mess with her, you mess with me."

Karofsky huffed something under his breath and stalked off to clean himself off.

Rachel was left open-mouthed in the hall, staring at Santana and wondering what the hell was going on.

Santana met her eyes and winked, a grin on her face. "Hey, Rach. You killed the mash up yesterday by the way." She tugged Brittany away before Rachel could respond.

"Totally," Brittany agreed with a wave as she was pulled down the hallway.

"Hey, Rach," Finn greeted as he appeared at her side.

She blinked, a bewildered smile on her lips when she met his eyes. "Hi." She kissed him and waited. She waited for him to compliment her like Quinn had. Certainly if someone like Quinn, who didn't really even like her, could compliment her, Finn would too. Right?

He didn't.

Instead he started rambling on about what was on the lunch menu in the cafeteria.

"Nice poodle sweater," a cheerleader sneered as she passed Rachel, causing the diva to frown. But she waited again. She waited for Finn to defend her like Santana had.

He didn't.

Instead he continued his rant about lunch and about Beiste and Sam dating Quinn and a bunch of other nonsense.

Rachel frowned. The two most popular girls in school had complimented her and stuck up for her and her own boyfriend hadn't.

She deflated a little and grabbed her books, slamming her locker and walking away.

Finn didn't even notice.

**XX**

**A.N.** I know it was super short, but I wanted to get a bit of a follow up chapter up quicker. Next chapter should be some Quinn/Rachel and then some Santana/Rachel in the following chapter. Thanks for reading! And again if you have any suggestions, things like Quinn and Santana competing over something to prove to Rachel they've changed or they like her best – even if it's trivial – I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. Next part! How much do you love me? Haha…anyways, it's still kinda short, but I figured quick updates trump short chapters so here we are again…

Thanks to all that have reviewed thus far! Your opinions and comments mean so much and I love to hear from you guys so please keep it up!

Enjoy!

XX

Rachel was convinced that something strange was going on by the time lunch rolled around. Instead of getting shoved in the hall and called names and getting slushied it seemed the student body parted for her. They stared at her and whispered about her and by lunchtime she was convinced that Quinn and Santana were setting her up for an epic stunt that would completely humiliate her.

So when Quinn peeked her head into the choir room about halfway through lunch Rachel just scowled at her.

Quinn's face broke out into an amused smile and she entered the room, hovering near the doorway. "What was that look for?"

Rachel's scowl deepened at the smile the cheerleader wore. Whatever the stunt was certainly had her entertained. "What game are you two playing?"

"Game?" Quinn questioned as she moved further into the room and sat down at the piano. "Who two?"

"You know that I'm referring to yourself and Santana," Rachel grumbled.

"What about myself and Santana?" Quinn said, a slim eyebrow rising in question and her head tilting to the side in the most adorable way.

"You two are obviously setting me up," Rachel explained. "You complimented me this morning, Quinn. That hasn't happened since third grade when you told me you liked my pink backpack on the first day of school. Then Santana pushed me in the mud and the two of you laughed at me."

Quinn smiled. "I'm sorry. I just…I did some thinking last night and I realized how horrible I've been all these years and I wanted to make it up to you. I thought a compliment was a small way to start. But I can see how it would seem after years of making your life hell."

Rachel frowned, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "I appreciate your honesty, Quinn. But you can see why I would be hesitant to trust you after some of the things you and your sheep have put me through all these years."

"I understand," Quinn admitted with a nod. "But it all stops today. I've made it clear to everyone that no one is allowed to mess with you."

"Santana did the same thing this morning." Rachel noticed Quinn roll her eyes at that bit of information. "Why is she suddenly being so nice?"

Quinn shrugged. "Not sure. She probably has her own reasons."

"Are you two still not speaking?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged again. "I think we're on our way back to being friends. She can be a difficult person to connect with."

"Brittany certainly has no trouble connecting with her," Rachel noted.

"You sound jealous," Quinn noticed with a frown, mildly annoyed that Rachel would rather connect with Santana than her. That didn't bode well for her chances at winning.

Rachel's eyes got wide and she shook her head. "It's not that. I just wonder how powerful a force glee club would be if we all let our walls down and connected with one another. I can still sense some hesitancy on some people's parts when it comes to expressing themselves completely."

"I never thought of it that way," Quinn mumbled. "You really want us to succeed."

"Of course," Rachel agreed. "And despite what you may think, my intentions aren't entirely selfish."

"I know," Quinn replied with a smile. "So how are you and Finn?"

Rachel studied her for a moment before she shrugged. "Things between us are alright."

"Just alright?" Quinn asked softly. When Rachel searched her gaze again she shrugged. "This is me trying to be your friend."

"Oh." Rachel nodded, a bashful smile on her lips. "I guess I always figured there would be more of a spark between us when we were free and clear to be together. But it would seem I was wrong about that. Perhaps I'm just too stubborn to let go of someone that I convinced myself for far too long that I wanted."

"I thought you two were all hearts and puppies," Quinn said.

Rachel shrugged and stood up, pacing the floor. "We're very comfortable together. But there's no…umph."

"Umph?" Quinn asked with another amused grin.

Rachel sighed. "I always thought love was supposed to be powerful and completely captivating. It's supposed to make your heart thunder in your chest and take your breath away. We're just comfortable." She met Quinn's eyes. "Isn't it a bit too early to be comfortable?"

Quinn shrugged. "I'm not sure, Rach. I've never been in love like you described. It was the same way with Finn and myself. He was safe and easy to date. But I think that's why I cheated. It was too comfortable there was no heat."

"Heat!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed, turning on a dime and pointing at Quinn. "That's what's missing."

Quinn bit her lip for a moment. "I hate to say this, Rach, but heat isn't exactly something you can just manufacture. It's either there between two people or it's not."

"It was at the very beginning," Rachel protested weakly, dropping onto the bench next to Quinn.

"Think that's maybe because he was close to cheating on me and you both knew it was kind of forbidden?" Quinn asked gently.

Rachel met her eyes and suddenly slumped. "Probably."

Quinn slid an arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "I don't want to tell you what to do one way or the other, but you might just want to ask yourself if no heat is enough for you. For either of you."

With that, Quinn stood up, offered the diva one last friendly smile and exited the room. Once she was in the hall she leaned against the wall and grinned. The seed of doubt was planted and she knew between Santana and herself, Finn wouldn't last the week.

**XX**

A.N. Okay, just a bit of Faberry in this one and the next should be some Pezberry. Please keep your comments and votes coming! It's a pretty split race at this point with Faberry winning by a slight margin so we'll see how things progress after the next chapter. I'm still way up in the air on the pairing so keep your opinions rolling in! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

A.N. Hey guys! This one is a bit longer so I hope you enjoy it. And holy reviews, batman! You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for reading this story. I'm so glad people are liking it.

Enjoy!

**XX**

Rachel jumped later that afternoon when she closed her locker only to find Santana leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Hi, Rachel," Santana greeted as she pushed herself off the locker and fell into step with the diva, pulling the books from her hands and tucking them under her own arm.

Rachel's mouth fell open slightly, a confused frown settling on her lips. "Please don't throw those in the dumpster again. Replacing books can get rather expensive."

"I'm carrying them for you," Santana clarified, an amused smile quirking her lips. "Relax."

Rachel watched her for a moment. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"

"Why not?" Santana laughed and moved a step ahead of the diva, turning towards her, causing her to stop. "Actually I do need your help with something."

Rachel's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not helping you and Brittany steal another car. That was terrifying. I still have nightmares about it and I only did it because you threatened to beat me up if I didn't help."

Santana laughed again, causing several people in the hall to glance up wondering what the commotion was. She shook her head, placing a warm hand on Rachel's forearm, an amused smile on her lips. "No. Nothing like that. I was thinking of doing a solo in glee and I wanted your help picking the right song."

Rachel brightened instantly. "That's a fantastic idea, Santana. You have a very good voice. You obviously lack the years of training that I myself have, but you're well on your way."

Santana bit the inside of her cheek to resist rolling her eyes and snarking back at what she felt was a bit of a buried insult and she moved to the diva's side again so they could continue down the hall. "Maybe we could sing something together."

Rachel nodded, her brain working on a list already. "I would love to sing with you."

Santana felt something tug within her and she found that she was genuinely flattered, her annoyance at the earlier insult disappearing immediately. She smiled rather bashfully. "Thanks."

Rachel stopped short, completely baffled by the smile the cheerleader had just given her. She thought it was the most endearing thing she'd ever seen the other girl do and she was shocked when it stirred something inside her.

Santana paused a minute later when she realized Rachel wasn't beside her any longer and she turned. "Are you coming?"

Rachel nodded slowly and hurried to catch up with Santana.

"That isn't why I'm being nice to you, by the way," Santana told her with a shrug. "I just don't want to be that person to you any more."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Rachel asked. "Because it seems that you and Quinn have either had a crisis of conscience over the way you've treated me all these years or you're up to something."

"I'm not going to speak for her," Santana told her with a shrug. "But I would just like it if we could be friends. Plus the stronger we are outside of glee, the stronger we are in glee, right?" Santana knew it was kind of a low blow, appealing to Rachel's sometimes insane need for glee club to be successful so she herself could be more successful.

But the game was on.

Rachel nodded. "Right."

It was certainly the strangest day she'd ever had. She was even more surprised when her renowned – to her at least - sixth sense was telling her that despite the strangeness of the day, Quinn and Santana both seemed to have had genuine change of hearts and she found that despite their rocky past, she liked this new side of both girls immensely.

**XX**

Santana entered the choir room later that day and found Quinn and Rachel chatting quietly in the front of the room. She set her face and approached the pair of them, sitting on Rachel's other side.

"Hey, Rach, Q," she greeted with a smile.

Rachel smiled warmly at her, Quinn rolling her eyes behind Rachel. "Hi, Santana."

"So I was thinking maybe we could start on song ideas this afternoon," Santana suggested. "Maybe after school?"

Rachel nodded immediately. "Of course."

"Song ideas?" Quinn asked, her eyes narrowed.

Santana shot her a triumphant smirk. "Yeah, Rachel and I might do a duet together."

_Why didn't I think of that?_ Quinn asked herself with a frown. "Sure you can keep up with her?"

Santana's eyes narrowed. "Probably better than you can."

"You think so?" Quinn asked.

Santana nodded. "Definitely."

Quinn set her eyes on Rachel, who's head had been whipping back and forth like she was watching a tennis game, and she wanted to laugh at the confusion playing over the brunette's features. "What do you think, Rachel? Want to duet with us both and let everyone decide who's best? Our own duets competition."

Rachel sputtered for a moment before nodding. "S-sure."

"Winner takes you to dinner next Friday," Quinn announced before pinning Santana with a look. "Breadsticks."

Santana glared at her. "Charming won't win you this one, Q."

Quinn suddenly smirked. "We'll see about that."

Santana set her eyes on Rachel again, a flirty smile on her lips and a warm hand on the other brunette's arm. "My place after school?"

Rachel could only nod and watch Santana get up and move to a seat near the back as Brittany entered the room.

"Maybe we could get together tomorrow after school?" Quinn asked quietly.

Rachel nodded again. She was too bewildered to do much else.

Quinn smiled warmly at her again and squeezed her hand before standing up and moving a row back as Sam and Finn entered the room and took their respective seats.

**XX**

An hour later Finn was opening his locker. "I'll call you later," he told Rachel.

She nodded, her eyes not meeting his. "I'll be at Santana's house this afternoon." She told herself she was just informing him in case her body went missing so _someone_ would know where she'd been last, but if she was honest with herself she told him to see if he'd get just a little jealous.

There was nothing wrong with feeling wanted.

"You're going to Santana's house?" Finn asked, a confused frown etched across his face. "Why?"

"You have football practice, what does it matter?" Rachel asked, still annoyed with him.

"She doesn't even like you," he told her.

Her eyes narrowed. "It may be too much for you to comprehend, but sometimes people can have a change of heart and actually get along with those that they previously didn't."

"You might as well tell my why you're pissed at me," he told her with a roll of his eyes as he closed his locker and turned to her.

"What makes you think that I'm mad at you?" she asked, not looking at him.

He sighed. "You think it's rude to not look at someone when you talk to them. When you don't look at me when you talk to me I know you're pissed about something."

"It's common courtesy," she reminded him with a bit of a glare.

"So what did I do this time?" he asked with a sigh.

"Why?" she asked. "So I can tell you and you can apologize and we can continue on our day as though something isn't wrong with our relationship?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Forget it," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. She spun and caught sight of Santana leaning against the wall a little ways down the hall. She tried desperately to ignore the way her stomach flip-flopped when the cheerleader grinned at her as she approached.

"You ready?" Santana asked.

Rachel nodded, not once looking back.

**XX**

A.N. Yay! So up next we'll have some alone time with Rachel and Santana and then the following chapter should be some alone time with Rach and Quinn. Are you sensing a pattern here? Lol…anyways, again thanks for all the reviews, they mean the world! Please leave your comments on this one! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A.N. Hey guys! Quick update for you…as promised a little Pezberry action. Thanks to all that reviewed! You guys are awesome!

Enjoy!

XX

The ride to Santana's house was silent. Rachel was visibly nervous in the presence of the other brunette and was desperate not to say something stupid when she would inevitably talk too much the moment she opened her mouth.

Santana pulled her car into a long driveway leading up to a gorgeous home set on a huge sprawling property.

"Wow," Rachel breathed. "Your house is amazing."

Santana smiled and parked the car in her spot in the four-car garage next to her father's toys. "Come on."

Rachel followed Santana into the house and they stopped in the spacious kitchen filled with new stainless steel appliances, dropping their school bags. Santana headed for the fridge.

"Want anything to drink?" she asked.

Rachel nodded. "Sure. Water is fine."

Santana grabbed two bottles of water and handed one over. "So I thought we could start with my dad's music collection. He has hundreds of CD's."

Rachel nodded. "That's a great idea."

Santana led Rachel through the house and they ended up in a room off the living room that seemed to be a study of sorts. The walls were lined with books and CD's and there were a few comfortable looking chairs and a couch in the room.

"Dad likes to read in here while he listens to music," Santana told her with a shrug.

Rachel considered that statement as she entered the room and began perusing the shelves of CD's. "Is it…just you and your dad?"

Santana's head snapped up and she realized that Rachel had no idea about her past. She was both surprised and relieved at that. She'd busted her ass for years to keep her private life _very_ private. She nodded. "Yeah."

Rachel could tell by the tone of the other girl's voice and the flash of hurt in her eyes that there was much more to the story but she kept her mouth shut. "He has fantastic taste in music. We will definitely be able to find something that you can sing in glee."

"I thought we were going to do a duet?" Santana questioned as she took a seat on the couch and opened her water bottle, sipping it.

Rachel nodded. "Oh we will. But I still think you should sing."

"You think?" Santana asked. Despite her tough exterior Santana was still slightly insecure about her glee performances.

"Definitely," Rachel assured her with a smile.

Santana returned the smile, ignoring the warmth that spread through her chest in that moment.

The girls chatted over the next hour about music and school as they each pulled discs off the shelves, holding them up for the other to see. There was a small pile in the center of the room where the good CDs were being kept but the rest were usually shoved back on the shelf with a teasing comment about the other's questionable taste in music.

Rachel pulled a CD off the shelf with a triumphant grin and held it out to her, making a sound that Santana thought sounded an awful lot like an 'ah-ha'. "What do you think?"

Santana shook her head. "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," she started. "I had such high hopes for you. But if your taste in music is this bad, I'm going to have to end things right now. Sorry, baby girl." She added the nickname without even thinking and did her best to hide how shocked she herself was at how easily it had rolled off her tongue.

Suddenly the air was thick with tension.

Rachel was watching her with wide eyes for several moments before she blinked and set the CD back on the shelf. "A simple no would have sufficed. You don't have to make it sound like you're breaking up with me because you can't appreciate Michael Bolton."

Just like that the tension disappeared from the room.

"Forgive me," Santana teased. "Maybe hanging out with you has increased my flair for the dramatic."

Rachel tried to look annoyed by the comment but a tiny smile cracked her lips. "Very funny."

"Santana? Sweetie, I'm home!"

Santana's head snapped up at the voice. "He was supposed to be working all night." She got up off the couch, Rachel trailing behind her, and headed for the kitchen.

She grinned when she saw her father standing in the kitchen, his head buried in the refrigerator. "Daddy!"

He straightened up and turned, a grin on his face. "Hi, baby." She hugged him tight, her eyes closing as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm only here for a minute to change clothes then I'm back to the hospital."

Her face fell and she nodded. She suddenly seemed to remember Rachel was standing behind her. "Dad, this is my friend, Rachel Berry."

He smiled a wide, charming smile and extended his hand. "Carlos Lopez, it's nice to meet you, Rachel."

"Likewise, Mr. Lopez," she told him with a smile as she shook his hand.

Carlos pulled out his wallet and handed several large bills over to his daughter. "Why don't you two girls order pizza or something tonight?"

"Thanks, Dad," Santana told him, her smile faltering.

He pulled back and cupped her face in both his hands. "Sweetie, your mom called me again." His voice dropped significantly as he said this, his eyes pained.

Santana's eyes got wide instantly and she glanced at Rachel. "Dad…"

"I'm sorry, I just thought…it's up to you. I have to run." He shook his head and straightened up, smiling at Rachel again. "It was nice to meet you, Rachel." His eyes fell to his daughter again and he kissed her forehead. "Just think about it. I love you."

She nodded. "I love you too."

Rachel smiled at him as he passed her but she immediately frowned at the hurt that washed over Santana's features.

Santana let out a heavy sigh and she met Rachel's eyes. She could tell the other girl was itching to ask. The look in the diva's eye told her everything. She wasn't quite ready to have that conversation yet so she shook her head, a brave smile on her lips.

"Why don't we pick this up another time?" she asked. "I'll drive you home."

Rachel nodded reluctantly. Despite the fact that she'd never spent any real length of time with Santana before now, she wanted to continue hanging out with her. "Okay."

In her mind's eye Rachel kept replaying the hurt in Santana's eyes and she felt like little things here and there were giving her a much better picture of who Santana Lopez really was.

And she was rather surprised to find that she genuinely liked what she was seeing.

**XX**

A.N. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed that. Up next there will be a little Puck/Santana interaction and then some Faberry goodness for those out there that are fans!


	7. Chapter 7

A.N. Thanks to all that reviewed! This one is a bit longer so I hope you enjoy!

**XX**

"Sup?" Puck greeted Santana as he leaned against the locker next to Santana's the next day.

"Hey," she replied as she continued switching out her books.

"So, I'll be home alone this weekend," he told her, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "Wanna come over?"

"Not really," she replied coolly.

He frowned, wondering if she was simply turning the tables on him by playing hard to get. "Why not?"

"I'm kind of into someone else," she replied honestly as she checked her makeup in her locker mirror.

"Come on, babe, I'll make you forget all about him," he told her.

"You should have a party this weekend," Santana suddenly suggested, a brilliant idea coming to her.

"Okay," he agreed slowly. He figured maybe if he got her drunk he'd get into her pants. It was an easy decision.

"Perfect," she told him as she closed her locker. "I'll invite everyone."

"So you and Q are cool?" he asked.

Santana sighed at his lack of subtlety and nodded. "We're fine."

"And she's okay?" he asked softly.

Santana nodded. "She's good. I kept an eye on her all summer. I busted her ass to get her back into fighting shape and then she came back and stole the crown away from me. Bitch." She cocked a grin to let him know she was only half-serious.

"Just take care of her," he told her seriously.

"Always do," Santana replied.

"So did I really see Rachel Berry getting into your car yesterday?" Puck asked as they made their way down the hall.

"Yep," she replied, not even looking his way.

His eyes narrowed a bit. "What game you playing?" he asked.

"Who said anything about games?" she wondered.

"You can't stand her," he pointed out.

Santana shrugged. "I'm a 17 year old cheerleader. I can't stand anyone." She met his eyes and glared at him. "Seriously, why do you care?"

He frowned. "Because Brittany shot me down so she could sleep with Wheels, so pelvic action with her is out and when I came to find you, you and Rachel were getting into your car." His eyes narrowed. "You're not using her to make Brittany jealous are you?"

"No," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "Don't be an idiot."

"Why else would you be hanging out with her?" he wondered.

Santana glared at him. "You dated her so you have to know that once you get her out of this hellhole and she stops talking your ear off that she's not half bad to hang out with."

"Yeah, but I dated her cause she's a hot Jew and I wanted to get into her pants," he told her. "What's your excuse?"

Something inside her suddenly felt icky with the knowledge that she and Puck thought so much alike. "She's just helping me with a glee thing."

He frowned. "A glee thing? You girls already performed."

"Maybe I want to do something extra."

He laughed at that. "Why? It's glee club."

"I get that," she growled. "It's called going over and above."

He rolled his eyes. "Spare me your dad's overachiever speech, I've heard it before."

She turned towards him, her mouth open to retort when she caught sight of Quinn and Rachel walking down the hall together and anger bubbled up inside her. "You know, fuck off, Puck. If I want to sing a song for glee, I can. And if I want to hang out with Rachel Berry, I can do that too. Leave me the hell alone about all of it." She slammed her locker and took off down the hall.

"You'll still come to my party, right?" he called down the hall after her.

Her only response was to flip him the bird without so much as a glance back in his direction.

"She's still hot for me," he told himself as he took off for the locker room for practice.

**XX**

The afternoon was dark and dreary. Low clouds loomed overhead and Rachel pondered if the weather was trying to tell her something as she sat in the passenger seat of Quinn's car as the blonde drove them to her house.

In the movies the weather was always the first sign that things were about to go awry. Dark, cloudy days such as these always seemed to lead to trouble for the young ingénue of any good story.

"You're awfully quiet," Quinn pointed out softly.

Rachel tore her gaze from the weather and smiled at the other girl. "Forgive me, I was just thinking about the weather."

"What about it?" Quinn asked.

Rachel shrugged. "Have you ever noticed in movies how the weather is usually indicative of what's about to happen in a story? Cloudy days lead to trouble while bright, sunny days lead to, what was it you said? Hugs and puppies?"

"Hearts and puppies," Quinn corrected with a smile. She chuckled after a moment. "Rachel, sweetie, you think too much."

"I-I know," Rachel agreed, sputtering slightly at the term of endearment that had come from the other girl. "I've always said it's an occupational hazard."

"Explain that to me," Quinn requested, wondering how over-thinking was a future Broadway star's occupational hazard. Nevertheless she was encouraged by the fact that Rachel hadn't completely frozen up when the term of endearment had slipped off her tongue. It seemed like it was a good sign.

_Baby steps, _she thought to herself.

"Well, though I run the risk of sounding over confident by saying this, I feel as though my voice could carry me to Broadway today if I wanted it to," Rachel told her softly and something about her tone let Quinn know that this was a rare occasion when she wasn't trying to brag about her talent. "But I feel my acting skills are sub-par so I've been working on them and one way I do that is by thinking. About everything. Why people do the things they do, why they say the things they do. I want to be able to immerse myself into my first role completely so I figure that if I think about everything then I'll know a lot more when the time comes."

"Wow," Quinn breathed. "Okay then."

Rachel sighed, her hands balling in her lap. "If I'm too much for you to deal with you can drop me off here and I'll walk home."

"It's not that," Quinn assured her quietly. "Its just…do you ever think about anything besides Broadway?"

"Of course," Rachel answered without really thinking. "I think about glee. And Finn."

"But isn't glee more of a means to an end?" Quinn wondered. "If we win Nationals that's just another stepping stone to Broadway."

"I'll give you that one," Rachel replied after a moment. "There's still Finn."

Quinn smirked at her. "Okay and how much of you likes him because he's a big, sweet oaf and how much of you likes him because he's 'leading man material'?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "That's really not fair. We've been dating all summer."

Quinn sensed she might have pushed too far and she shook her head, holding one hand up in a peaceful gesture. "You're right. I'm sorry. If Finn makes you happy then I have no right to say anything."

Rachel considered that statement for a moment. "So you're saying that if Finn made me unhappy you would have the right to say something?"

"Yes!" Quinn exclaimed. She blushed and sat silently for a moment. "As your friend I would tell you that you deserve someone on the same level as you emotionally. You deserve someone who notices you. And not just when you're dressing up like Britney Spears."

Rachel was silent as she thought about Quinn's words. One particular part of her statement seemed to repeat itself in her head. _Someone who notices you_. At the moment she was lacking that. Finn had been especially distracted since the school year began with the new football coach and getting kicked off the team only to be taken back and with glee and everything else it seemed that he only noticed her when he wanted to make out with her.

Quinn watched Rachel out of the corner of her eye as she pulled up in front of her house, wondering what the other girl was thinking. She hoped that in her effort to continue to convince Rachel she needed to dump Finn that she hadn't pushed too far.

Quinn pushed her front door open and stood aside while Rachel entered. She led the diva upstairs to her room where they dropped their bags. Rachel took a seat at the desk while Quinn headed for her walk in closet.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped," Quinn called out as she began changing out of her uniform. She held her top to her chest and peeked her head out. "You and I are barely friends. I should have kept my mouth shut."

Rachel blinked at the sight of Quinn in her state of undress, her mouth opening and closing several times. She wasn't used to having girl friends so this was all new to her. "It's fine."

"It's really not," Quinn argued as she ducked back into her closet. "Plus the fact that Finn is my ex only makes it even more not my place."

"It's fine, Quinn," Rachel told her, not really wanting to talk about Finn any longer. Something else Quinn said had her thinking. Was she really more attracted to Finn because he was a perfect leading man?

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked, dropping that line of thought before she over-thought it.

"Sure," Quinn replied.

Rachel hesitated. "Do you know anything about Santana's mom?"

There was silence from the closet until Quinn emerged wearing jeans and a tank top, her face confused. "Santana's mom?"

Rachel shrugged. "I was at her house yesterday and her dad came home and mentioned that her mom called him. Then she got kind of quiet and took me home."

Quinn's eyes narrowed. _That dirty sneak! _she thought to herself. _Playing the absentee mom card with Rachel. So not fair._

"Quinn?" Rachel said, placing a hand on the blonde's arm to snap her from her thoughts.

Quinn shook her head, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry." Her bottom lip slid between her teeth for a moment as she thought about Rachel's question. "You should probably ask Santana about that."

Rachel nodded slowly, figuring that would be the answer she'd get so she changed the subject. "So how are things with you and Sam?"

"Not bad." Quinn shrugged as she set a large case of CD's down on the bed and sat down next to it, patting the spot on the other side of the case. "Want to flip through these to see if anything looks good?"

Rachel nodded and took the seat on the bed, her head tilting as Quinn flipped the pages slowly.

"Honestly, I'm not sure Sam is really right for me," Quinn said quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Really?" Rachel asked. "You two were very charming when you sang together." She looked up and found Quinn watching her carefully.

Quinn smiled. "I actually think I might have feelings for someone else." Her eyes fell to Rachel's lips and then met her eyes again.

Rachel blinked several times and practically gulped at the look the blonde was giving her. "R-really? Who?"

Quinn allowed a grin to quirk her lips. "It's a secret. And before you ask, it's not Finn."

Rachel immediately shook her head. "I didn't think…"

Quinn met her eyes and their gazes locked for a long moment, Quinn's eyes softening as she tried to subtly give Rachel a hint that it was her she was talking about. She allowed her gaze to linger for another moment before she set her gaze back on the CD's.

"What about this one?" she asked, smiling a little when Rachel blinked to snap herself out of the haze that had settled around them. She was holding the single for 'When the Stars go Blue' that Bono and the Corrs did.

Rachel nodded. "I love that song."

Quinn placed the CD to the side as they continued to flip. "So what did you and Santana decide on?"

Rachel shook her head. "We didn't really decide on one. We came up with a lot of options though."

"Your voice would sound amazing on this one." Quinn plucked a CD from the case. "So why didn't you decide?"

Rachel blushed at the compliment and shrugged a shoulder. "That's when her dad showed up and mentioned her mom."

"Oh," Quinn replied. She sighed knowing she was probably going to help Santana earn points with Rachel for this, but her friendship trumped the competition in that moment. "Look, Rach, I know that Santana acts like she's tough but she's had it rough the last few years so just…be careful with her."

Rachel knew she was missing something huge, but figured the missing pieces would only be filled in by a certain brunette cheerleader so she just nodded. "I understand."

Quinn suddenly quirked a half-smile that Rachel found herself reacting to. "Thanks."

Rachel nodded, not knowing exactly what she'd done to earn that smile but she knew she wanted to do whatever it was again because that was the only smile she ever wanted to see Quinn aim her way.

**XX**

**A.N. **Kind of a quiet Q/R chapter, but I really want it to be a contrast to the R/S stuff. I want the two relationships to be very different from one another so we'll see how that progresses through the story. And hmmm, a party at Puck's? That can only lead to goodness! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed and please leave me some feedback if you can!


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N. **Hey guys! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, they mean a lot to me! I wanted to get a little update in while I could. Enjoy!

**XX**

Santana pulled out her phone and flipped through her contacts. She'd wanted to ask Rachel to Puck's party in person, but she figured since the diva was hanging with Quinn she should take the first opportunity she could get in case Quinn beat her to the punch.

_Puck is having a party Friday nite, wanna go with me?_

_-S_

She didn't have to wait long for a response.

_I'd love to, but Finn and I are supposed to go together. We could make it a group thing if you'd like._

_-RBB_

Santana rolled her eyes at the knowledge that Finn had beaten her to the punch. That was worse than Quinn. The invite, however, made her grin. At least she could throw some salt on Finn's game with the opportunity to all go together.

_That's a great idea. What time are you guys going?_

_-S_

_I think around 9._

_-RBB_

Another thought occurred to her making her grin wider.

_Want to come over and we can get ready together?_

_-S_

_Sure!_

_-RBB_

_Awesome. I'll talk to you tomorrow about details. You still with Q?_

_-S_

_No, I'm home now._

_-RBB_

_Cool. Well have a good night, see you tomorrow._

_-S_

_Good night._

_-RBB_

Santana was about to put her phone away when one last text rang through. Reading it, a grin spread across her features.

_By the way, I really like this side of you. See you tomorrow._

_-RBB_

_Thanks, Rach, that means a lot. Good night._

_-S_

A knock on her front door made Santana roll her eyes. She rolled off her bed and headed downstairs, pulling the door open once she saw Quinn through the peephole.

"Real nice, Santana, playing the sympathy card to win the bet?" Quinn mumbled as she entered the house.

"Excuse me?" Santana said, eyebrow cocked, hand on her hip. "Hello to you too."

Quinn's eyes narrowed as she rounded on her friend. "Rachel told me your dad was talking about your mom when she was here."

Santana's eyes narrowed. "You're crazy if you think I wanted her to know any part of that."

"I have a hard time believing that," Quinn said.

"Believe what you want," Santana told her with a shrug. "I'm gonna win either way."

"So you're delusional now?" Quinn asked with a smirk.

Santana suddenly grinned. "I've missed this side of you, Q. All summer you were moping around and I had no one to go toe-to-toe with."

Quinn couldn't help the smile on her lips and she rolled her eyes. "I've missed it too. But if you ever come at me again like you did in the hall the first week of school it won't be pretty."

"Whatcha gonna do, Blondie?" Santana challenged.

"Maybe I'll tell B about the bet," Quinn suddenly blurted out.

Santana raised a brow. "B's dating Wheels, remember? She won't care if I'm trying to get into Rachel's pants."

Quinn deflated a little at that.

"Exactly." Santana laughed. "Besides B would not be the best person to tell about our little arrangement. You know she can't keep a secret to save her life."

"You have a point," Quinn agreed. "Damn." She softened slightly and sighed, studying the brunette for a minute. "So how are you?"

Santana shrugged. "Good as ever. We've got to get rid of Finnessa though. He's seriously salting my game."

"Agreed," Quinn said with a nod. "She told me that there's no heat between them. He doesn't take her breath away and make her heart hammer in her chest."

Santana pondered this for a moment and grinned. "Thanks for the tip. Beating you is going to be easier than I thought if you keep feeding me information."

"How do you know I'm not making this up so you think I'm feeding you information?" Quinn asked with a smirk.

"Nice try," Santana replied.

Quinn sighed, telling herself that she had to be more careful in the future about what she said and didn't say in front of Santana. "So it's true then? What Rachel told me about your mom calling your dad?"

Santana let out a breath in a huff, her cheeks puffing out. "She claims she's sober and that she's cleaned up her act." She shrugged. "I've heard it before."

"Well be careful," Quinn told her quietly. "She broke your heart last time and I don't want to see that happen again."

Santana nodded. "Thanks, Q."

Quinn pulled her into a hug. "Any time."

"So look," Santana started. "Puck's having a party Friday night." She caught the look in Quinn's eye and shook her head. "I already asked her. She's insisting on going with Finnzilla."

"Damn him."

"I know, right?" Santana muttered. "But when I asked her if she wanted to go, she invited me along, saying we could make it a group thing. So you should ask her too so she'll invite you."

"I thought we were competing against each other?" Quinn wondered.

"We are," Santana agreed. "But we have to get Frankenteen out of the way first and you know once you and I set our minds to something that it's an inevitability."

"Good point," Quinn mumbled. "So how is it going on your end?"

Santana shrugged. "Not bad. She's obviously still hesitant to trust either of us. And the oaf will be on to us if we don't make quick work of him and he'll probably just try to push her further away from both of us."

"Yeah, Finn needs to be taken out of the equation," Quinn said. "The sooner the better."

"Party at Puck's," Santana reminded her. "I'm thinking we can get a few drinks in her and loosen her up, maybe some truth or dare or some equally lame game that can get one or both of us closer to her and probably piss Finn off in the process."

"Interesting," Quinn said with a nod. "I like the way you think."

"Just so you know?" Santana started, waiting for hazel eyes to meet hers. "Once he's out of the way? It's on."

Quinn smirked. "You have no idea."

Santana nodded once, knowing her point had been made. "Want to stay for dinner?"

**XX**

**A.N. **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the little update! Please let me know what you thought of this one!


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N.** Okay I felt the need to hijack chapter 9 because I think there has been some confusion about this story so I want to clear it up…

1. I **have not** decided who Rachel will end up with in the end. That's why I keep asking you guys and that's why I love when you tell me.

2. When you post a story on you have to pick a pairing to post. If I just posted under Rachel it wouldn't show up under Faberry or Pezberry so I just picked one knowing I'd switch it to the other after a few chapters and it has just been switched from Faberry to Pezberry. This means nothing in terms of the story. **See number 1**.

3. In this story Quinn and Santana will be competing for Rachel's attention and affections. That's the point. If you're a Faberry fan, sorry there will be Pezberry in here and vice versa. If you don't like it, don't read it. I'm a fan of both pairings and I think both are infinitely better than Quinn/Sam, Rachel/Finn and Santana/Puck so to me, Rachel with either of them is a win.

Thank you all for reading and I hope this cleared up some of the issues that I'm hearing from you guys.


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N. **Another update for you guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!

Enjoy…

**XX**

The next day at lunch Rachel looked uncomfortable.

She was seated at a table with Quinn on her right side and Santana on her left. Finn was seated across from her grumbling about how bony Santana's elbows were. The two of them had nearly gotten into a fistfight when Santana tried to steal the last chair next to Rachel and found that her elbows were a very effective weapon to get him out of the way.

Kurt and Mercedes walked by, both stopping to do a double take when they saw the cheerleaders sitting on either side of Rachel.

"Hey, guys," Mercedes greeted as she dropped her tray next to Finn and sat down, figuring some kind of glee thing was going on.

"Where's Brittany?" Kurt asked. He found it strange that Santana was sitting next to Rachel of all people but even stranger that Brittany was nowhere to be found.

"Artie is wheeling her down the halls in his chair," Santana explained with a fond smile.

"That would explain the weeeee-ing we heard on our way here," Kurt noted.

Several people at the table grinned at that.

"Are they really dating?" Mercedes asked Santana.

Santana shrugged, stealing a strawberry from Rachel's fruit salad, grinning at the diva when she pouted playfully about it. "If it's not official today it probably will be by the end of the week."

"That doesn't bother you?" Rachel suddenly asked.

Santana met her eyes. "Why would it?"

Rachel shrugged. "You're best friends, won't it cut into your best friend time?"

Quinn snorted. "You mean sex time?"

Santana leaned forward in her seat and looked past Rachel to glare at the blonde. "Why don't you mind your own business, Fabray? B and I aren't doing that anymore."

"Really? Why not?" Quinn asked, a challenge in her eyes.

Santana glared deepened. "Because I like someone else. And because B's dating Wheels now or whatever."

"Who do you have a crush on?" Quinn asked, smirking just a little.

"Ya know, I think I'll go get a drink," Rachel announced, backing her chair up a little. She could practically feel the heat between the two cheerleaders and it was making her a little uncomfortable.

"You stay, I'll get it," Santana told her, breaking the glaring contest between Quinn and herself.

"No," Quinn said. "I'll go."

"I'll go," Finn grumbled. "_I'm_ her boyfriend."

The three of them stood up at the same moment and after a pause they each took off in different directions.

Rachel exchanged a bewildered look with Kurt and Mercedes and they watched as Santana headed for the drink machine. She pulled cash from her uniform and started fighting with the machine for it to take her dollar. A string of curse words could be heard over the chatter in the lunchroom and she quickly had an audience as she began shaking the machine violently.

Finn had made his way to the lunch line and found a cup. He was dodging bodies with his hulking frame and had trouble maneuvering through tight spaces as he made his way to the water fountain. He was too rude to cut in front of the three girls sipping from the fountain but he quickly jumped when it was his turn.

Quinn had made her way directly to the back of the lunch line and snagged two bottles of water and cut in place at the front of the line with ease now that her image was on the upswing. She made her way back to the table, swagger in her hips and a confident smile on her lips as she reclaimed her seat, setting the water down in front of Rachel.

"Here you go," Quinn said with a triumphant smile.

Rachel blinked. Her eyes landed on Kurt and Mercedes again and they both wore the same expression she must have been wearing. She returned her gaze to Quinn and smiled finally. "Thank you."

"Stupid, damn thing," Santana grumbled as she dropped into the seat on the other side of Rachel. Her uniform was crumpled and her hair mused from her fight with the machine and she was grumbling under her breath in Spanish. "It stole my money."

"Your _whole_ dollar?" Quinn teased.

"Thank you for trying, Santana," Rachel offered with a smile before Santana could launch into an argument with Quinn.

Santana met her eyes and smiled a little. "Sure."

"Hi guys!" Brittany greeted with a bright smile as she dropped into the chair next to Santana.

"Hey, B," Santana replied with a grin.

The rest of the table greeted her and then watched as Finn finally made his way back to the table. He was out of breath and set the cup down on the table in front of Rachel, bending over to catch his breath. The cup was only half empty and it seemed as though the other half had sloshed all over the front of his shirt.

"Coach wants to see us," Brittany told the other two Cheerios. She was watching Finn curiously, wondering what he was doing.

Santana smiled at Rachel once more. "See you later?" She stood when Rachel nodded and she clapped Finn on the back. "Looks like someone needs to hit the gym."

He glanced around and everyone was looking at him. His face flushed with a bright blush and he pouted suddenly, turning around. "I'm gonna go run some laps, see you guys later."

A warm hand on her arm had Rachel turning before she could stop Finn and she met Quinn's eyes, her stomach flip-flopping at the look in the cheerleader's eyes. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Rachel nodded, licking her lips, her eyes going wide when she noticed Quinn's eyes on her lips.

Quinn smiled once more before getting up and jogging to catch up with the other two.

"Okay what the hell was that?" Mercedes asked.

"I have no idea," Rachel answered immediately as if she had been thinking the same thing.

"Since when are either of them nice to you?" Kurt asked. "You're not dying or something are you?"

"No," Rachel replied with a scowl. She shook her head and sighed. "It's very strange."

"Do you think they're planning something?" Mercedes asked.

Rachel frowned. "It's obviously crossed my mind but they both assure me that their intentions are pure and they genuinely want to be my friend."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a look and Kurt placed a hand on the diva's. "Rachel you and I have never really gotten along very well but you extended kindness to me when I needed it most and I hope I'm able to do the same now." He paused. "Be careful. Sue Sylvester might be behind this sudden change of heart or it might just be the cruel joking of two bored cheerleaders."

Rachel remained quiet. Kurt's warning hit closer to home than she cared to admit. Since the two cheerleaders had started being nice to her she had considered on multiple occasions that it was more Sue Sylvester than the girls themselves out to break her. She knew she would have to proceed cautiously and keep her heart guarded in case the girls did a 180 and rescinded their friendship offer. Because Rachel Berry didn't have many friends and to now have two friends meant more to her than most people knew.

**XX**

"So how are you and Wheels?" Santana asked as the three of them walked towards the Coach's office.

Brittany grinned instantly. "He's a lot of fun. He wheels me to class all the time now."

"That's good, B," Santana replied. She had to admit that she felt a pang of pain at the thought of someone else making her B happy.

"Are you guys going to Puck's on Friday?" Brittany asked with a grin.

Santana and Quinn nodded. "We'll be there," Quinn told her.

"So listen, B, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Santana started. She saw Quinn's eyes go wide, knowing where she was going with this and Santana waved her off. "I did some thinking and I want to be friends with Rachel."

"Glee Rachel?" Brittany asked.

Santana smiled. "Yeah, B. Glee Rachel. You're cool with that, right?"

Brittany nodded. "Rachel talks too much but she's nice."

"She is," Santana agreed.

"I'm gonna be friends with her too," Quinn interjected, not wanting to be left out.

"What are you, five?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"So we can all be friends?" Brittany asked with a bright smile.

Santana nodded. "Yeah, B."

"Cool," Brittany breathed. "I always thought we needed a fourth. Now when you and me have sexytimes, Quinn and Rachel can have them too so Q isn't left out!"

Quinn's eyes went wide, her cheeks flushing.

Santana glared at Quinn for a moment, grumbling something under her breath that the two blondes couldn't quite decipher. "B, you and Wheels are dating so we should probably cool it with the sex while you guys are together."

"Oh," Brittany said, deflating a little before she shrugged, her smile returning. "Okay."

"It's not because I don't want to," Santana clarified, pulling Brittany to a stop in the hall and grasping both her hands. "It's just if you're dating someone you probably shouldn't sleep with someone else. It might hurt his feelings."

"You and I had sex while you were dating Puck," Brittany pointed out.

"Puck and I weren't dating," Santana told her.

"Oh," Brittany replied. "So you still love me?"

Santana nearly melted at the question and she pulled Brittany into a hug. "Always, B."

"So, Artie and I are going to Puck's on Friday after he takes me to dinner," Brittany said cheerfully as she pulled her friends down the hall once more. "I think I like him."

Santana watched her friend with conflicting emotions. On one hand she hated that someone else was making Brittany so happy, but on the other she was glad that Brittany was distracted so she could spend her time working Rachel's defenses down.

She had to win the bet.

**XX**

A.N. Hope you enjoyed guys! Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought about this one!


	11. Chapter 11

A.N. As always, thank you to all of you that reviewed the last chapter and every one before that! I love you guys for it. Here's a little update for all your hard work reviewing.

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Hey," Sam greeted Quinn, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Hi," she said softly.

He studied her for a moment. "You okay?"

She nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Fine."

"Okay," he said. "So Puck is having a party Friday night. I know you two have a history but I thought we could go. Together."

"Actually I think I'm going with Santana and a few other people," she told him. She hadn't asked Rachel yet so she wasn't sure if she'd even get an invite to go with them to the party.

"Oh," he sighed. "But I'll see you there?"

She slammed her locker and faced him with a sigh. "Sam, I don't think this is going to work with the two of us."

He frowned. "Why not? Is it the sex thing? I didn't mean to push."

She shook her head, sighing. "It's not that. I just…think I have feelings for someone else."

His eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"I'd rather not say," she told him.

"So is that like your thing?" he asked, anger seeping into his voice. "Get your hooks in a guy and then stray?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "No, it's not my thing."

"Really?" he challenged, stepping into her space. "Cause that's exactly how it seems to me."

"You don't know anything about me," she told him.

"I know you were dating Finn and cheated with his best friend!" he exclaimed.

"Hey!" a voice rang out, causing both of them to turn and they found Rachel stalking towards them. She put herself between the pair and pointed a finger at him. "I know you think you're charming with your fake blonde hair and smile too big for your face, but you have no idea what happened here last year so please don't pretend you do."

"I know she's a cheater and a slut," he said, his eyes hard and focused on the blonde.

A resounding slap echoed through the hall causing Quinn to gasp. Sam cradled his face, fire in his eyes burning at Rachel.

"If you ever speak about Quinn like that again, I'll see to it that everyone knows exactly why you changed schools."

He sputtered for a moment before he glared at both of them and stalked off down the hall.

Rachel turned to Quinn immediately. "Are you alright?"

"You slapped him," Quinn breathed, her eyes wide and surprised.

Rachel huffed a little as she turned and watched Sam turn a corner down the hall. "He said something really awful about you and he probably only knows Finn's side of the story."

Quinn shook her head, her eyes downcast and rather sad suddenly. "Maybe I deserved it."

"No," Rachel assured her. She waited until hazel eyes met hers. "You made a mistake. That's no reason for him to call you names and act like an ass."

Quinn studied her for a moment, a shy smile creeping over her lips. "Thanks, Rachel."

Rachel brightened instantly. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Quinn smiled and nodded. "Yeah." The two of them began walking down the hall to head to the parking lot. "So are you going to Puck's on Friday?"

Rachel nodded. "I'm going with Santana and Finn."

"Santana and Finn?" Quinn asked with an amused smile. It sounded weirder out loud than it had in her head.

Rachel shrugged, her own amused smile playing on her lips. "I told Finn I'd go with him and then Santana invited me as well so I invited her to come with us. Why don't you join us as well?"

Quinn beamed at that. "I'd love to."

"Santana invited me over to get ready together," Rachel informed her quietly. "You should come too."

"Sure," Quinn agreed with a nod.

Rachel grinned. "Excellent."

"Hey, Rach?" Quinn asked as they started down the hall together.

"Hmm?" Rachel hummed.

"Why did Sam really change schools?" the blonde wondered.

Rachel smirked. "Let's just say that Kurt's instincts were at least half correct and Sam may or may not have been caught in his room with someone who may or may not have been another boy."

"Really?" Quinn asked with a laugh.

Rachel nodded like an excited puppy when she realized she had an actual friend that she was gossiping with. She was _such_ a normal high school girl in that moment!

Quinn saw the look in Rachel's eye and it made her smile just a little. She found it strange that she was enjoying making the diva smile nearly as much as she'd enjoyed tormenting her all those years.

It was certainly unexpected.

She chalked it up to the fact that she and Rachel probably could have been very good friends if they hadn't ended up on opposite ends of the social pyramid. She couldn't help the wave of guilt that crashed over her thinking about how Rachel always seemed to be in her corner, even when she didn't deserve it.

She reached out and grasped Rachel's hand, tugging it gently as she headed down the hall. "Come on, we have to get to glee."

Rachel stared at their joined hands for a long moment and nodded rather dumbly. Friends held hands, right? She'd seen Santana and Brittany walk the halls with linked pinkies and this was similar to that so it was normal, right?

"So I don't have Cheerios practice after school," Quinn told her as they walked. "Do you want a ride home?"

Rachel nodded. "Sure. Thank you."

Rachel half expected the cheerleader to release her hand as they entered the room, figuring Quinn would be embarrassed for anyone to see the two of them holding hands, but their hands remained linked until they sat down.

"Hi, Santana," Rachel greeted brightly.

"Hey, Rach," she greeted with a grin. Santana shot Quinn a dirty look when Rachel wasn't looking and she leaned over in her seat, resting her elbow on the back of Rachel's chair, scooting a little bit closer to her. "So I was thinking you could come over around 8 on Friday."

Rachel nodded. "Okay. Should I bring anything with me?"

Santana shook her head. "No, I've got everything we'll need."

Quinn's eyes narrowed and she scooted her chair in closer to Rachel as well. "You'll let us do your hair and make up, right?"

Rachel blinked. "O-of course." In her head she was already imagining what it would be like. She imagined the three of them swapping outfits to try on and spending hours getting ready while they gossiped.

"You slapped Sam?" Finn asked angrily as he suddenly entered the choir room, breaking Rachel from her haze.

"You did?" Santana asked Rachel with a grin. She held her hand up. "Nice."

Rachel high-fived her, a smile playing on her lips, knowing it would just piss Finn off more. She was quickly growing tired of Finn and Sam's bromance and how Finn talked about him all the time. "To answer your question, yes I slapped him."

"Why?"

"He called Quinn a slut," Rachel told him.

"Since when do you care about Quinn?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at the mention of his ex.

"In case you haven't noticed, Quinn and I are becoming friends," she told him evenly. "Santana and I as well. I'm sorry if you have a problem with that, but frankly I don't care if you do."

"They're playing you," he told her.

"_They_ are sitting right here," Santana reminded him, pointing at herself and Quinn with a wave of her finger in the air.

"Can you please mind your own business?" he told her.

"Excuse me?" she shot back, jumping to her feet and closing in on him.

"Okay, S, you and me are taking a walk so we don't have to listen to Finn bashing us any more," Quinn told her, gripping her around the waist.

"You can mind your own business too," he told Quinn with a glare.

Quinn opened her mouth to snark back but glanced at Rachel instead. "Please don't believe everything he says about us."

Rachel watched them go, smiling when she caught a few things Santana was grumbling as they walked away. She shook her head and set a fiery gaze on Finn. "You really need to get it through your head that you can't control me. I'm not going to turn down offers for friendship because my current status as completely friend-less makes you more secure in our relationship."

"What? Rachel, that's not what this is about," he sputtered.

"That's exactly what this is about," she argued. "Either you will let go of whatever issues you have with Santana and Quinn or you and I are going to have a serious problem."

He looked confused. "Rachel, I don't want us to have a problem. I just want us to be us again."

"We are us," she told him. "But you can't expect me to cling to my life as a loser if someone throws me a lifeline to bigger and better things at this school. I'm too miserable not to. One slushie is no big deal. One a day can wear on a person. And that's not even the half of it."

"I'm sorry, Rachel." He frowned. "That's not what I mean to do."

"I know," she told him, her anger seeping away. "Can we just go to the party and have a good time this weekend?"

He nodded, a goofy half smile on his lips. "Sure."

"By the way?" she started, knowing she was about to test how serious he was about his apology. "I'm getting ready with Santana and Quinn at Santana's house and then we're all riding together to the party."

He opened his mouth, ready to argue but clamped it shut again. "Fine. I'll pick you guys up at 9."

"Thank you," she replied, encouraged by his response. Maybe that meant he'd loosen his grip on her a bit. Some old adage about squeezing a bird too tightly slipped from the forefront of her mind as Mr. Schue entered the room and commanded their attention.

**XX**

**A.N. **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the destruction of another couple that isn't Faberry or Pezberry. Haha…

Anyways, I hope you can take a minute to leave your thoughts, they really mean a lot!


	12. Chapter 12

A.N. Thank you guys for all the reviews, you're awesome! I have a bunch going on this week but wanted to give you guys some love in return for all the love you've shown me, sorry it's a bit short and it's been a few days but there will be more coming soon, promise!

Enjoy!

**XX**

An hour later Rachel was standing in the parking lot frowning at the scene before her. She and Quinn had walked out to the parking lot after glee and they had been chatting about sectionals when Quinn stopped short, her eyes set on something in the distance. Rachel followed her line of sight and realized that her gaze was settled on someone, not something.

Russell Fabray.

"Stay here," Quinn insisted quietly,, her voice cracking slightly, her eyes trained on her father. "No matter what happens. Stay here."

Rachel nodded silently and watched Quinn stride across the parking lot to her father, who was leaning against her car. They chatted for a few minutes and suddenly Russell's face twisted into an angry snarl and turned red. He pointed a finger in her face, causing the blonde to shrink back.

Rachel stood rooted to the spot, unable to move as she watched him bark in Quinn's face. An instant later he reached out and grabbed Quinn by the arm roughly and tugged her closer to him. Before Rachel could react she saw a blur of red, white and black fly past her and appear at Quinn's side.

Santana maneuvered herself between Quinn and Russell. She appeared to be speaking lowly to him and that's when Rachel approached them.

Rachel reached out and pulled a shaking Quinn into her arms, frowning when the blonde flinched under her touch. "Quinn, it's just me," she whispered in her ear. She guided the blonde away from the pair still arguing and a moment later Russell Fabray spoke up.

"This isn't over, Quinn!" he shouted around Santana, who kept herself between him and her blonde friend. He set his glare on Rachel, as if suddenly noticing her, pointing at her, his face twisting in rage and practically purple. "You!" He tried to move around Santana to get to them but she was younger and quicker and stepped into his path.

"Hey!" Santana shouted, commanding his attention again. "Rachel get her out of here."

Quinn flinched again and Rachel wrapped her tighter in a hug, guiding her away. "Quinn, are you alright?"

The blonde glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of her father walking away from them, still glaring at her over his shoulder at them. "Come on, let's go."

"I'll drive," Rachel insisted gently. Quinn nodded and handed her keys over with shaky hands.

"What the hell was that about, Q?" Santana asked as she jogged to catch up with them.

"I'll tell you about it later," Quinn told Santana with a shake of her head.

Santana nodded and her eyes fell to Rachel. "You're okay to drive?"

Rachel nodded. "I'm okay."

Santana nodded and pulled Quinn into a quick hug. "Call me later." She placed a hand on Rachel's arm and smiled at her. "Take care of her. Call me if you need me."

"I will," Rachel told her with a grateful smile as they climbed into Quinn's car.

The pair drove silently for several minutes until Rachel couldn't stand it any longer. "What was that back there?"

Quinn blinked out of her haze and shook her head. "I can't yet, Rachel."

Rachel nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Rachel drove the remainder of the way in silence, pulling up in front of Quinn's house. The pair stepped from the car and Rachel followed Quinn inside, wanting to be sure the other girl was okay before she walked home. She didn't want to overstay her welcome, especially after what she'd just witnessed.

Quinn dropped her bag at the front door and trudged up the stairs silently. She began pulling her Cheerios uniform off before she even got into her bedroom, leaving Rachel blushing behind her.

"Well I just wanted to be sure you got in safely," Rachel told her. "I can just walk home."

"Wait, Rachel," Quinn called from her closet. She peeked her head out, giving the diva an unsure look. "Would you mind sticking around for a while? I could use someone to talk to."

Rachel nodded. "Of course."

"I'm usually not very good at letting people into my life," Quinn told her as she emerged from her closet and flopped down on her bed. "But I really want us to be friends."

"You can talk to me about anything you want, Quinn," Rachel told her softly.

She pulled a pillow into her lap and hugged it to her body. "My father is a drunk. He was controlling and mean when he and my mom were together and now he's trying to come back into our lives."

Rachel frowned and took a seat on the bed next to Quinn, pulling her legs up underneath her. "I'm sorry, Quinn. You shouldn't have to be in the middle of your parents' problems."

Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm sorry you had to see that. He's never come to school before. I didn't think he even knew where I went to school."

Rachel felt her heart ache in her chest at that. "What does your mom think about everything?"

"I have no idea," Quinn told her. "She's not around much."

Rachel's heartache deepened. "Where is she now?"

Quinn shrugged. "Away with boyfriend number fifteen. She'll be home in a few days."

Rachel made an executive decision. "You can stay with me tonight."

"What?" Quinn asked, her eyes widening. "Rach, I can't ask you to do that."

"It'll be fun!" Rachel insisted with a nod. "My Dad is a terrific cook and tonight is Italian night." She paused to reach for Quinn's hand. "I insist, really. I can't stand the thought of you here all alone."

Quinn searched the brunette's eyes, her heart swelling at the invitation. She nodded finally, a small smile spreading over her lips. "Okay. Thanks, Rach."

Rachel grinned that thousand-watt smile of hers and Quinn felt her heart flutter in her chest. "Let's get you packed."

**XX**

A.N. Again, sorry it's so short, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew I didn't forget about this one (or you guys!) so I hope you understand. Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts! Up next? Some more Faberry hanging out at Rachel's house...


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N. **Hey guys! Thanks for all the love for this story…I know we're all anxious to get to the party and that's coming, I promise…but not yet.

Enjoy this in the meantime!

**XX**

"Dad? Daddy?" Rachel called as she pushed her front door open twenty minutes later.

Quinn stepped through the threshold of the house and was immediately consumed with a warmth that was certainly missing from her own home. Rachel's house was smaller than her own, but it was comfortable and cozy and the pictures that lined the walls of Rachel's family were indicative of how full of love the diva's life was.

Quinn was instantly jealous.

"In the kitchen, baby!" a male voice called out.

"Dad," Rachel informed Quinn quietly as she pulled her through the house and into the kitchen where a tall black man was standing over the stove stirring a pot.

"Hi, Dad," Rachel greeted as she stepped into the room.

"Hi, honey," he greeted as he turned. He looked rather surprised to see a blonde girl standing in his kitchen with his daughter. "Hello."

"Dad, this is my friend Quinn Fabray," Rachel introduced, failing miserably at hiding the excitement in her voice. "Quinn this is my dad, Leroy."

Quinn reached out and shook his hand. "Hi, Mr. Berry."

"It's nice to meet you, Quinn," Leroy replied with a warm smile. "And please call me Leroy. Mr. Berry is my father-in-law."

Quinn smiled and nodded, liking Leroy instantly. "Okay."

"So what are you girls up to?"

Quinn could tell he was shocked, yet thrilled, that Rachel had a new friend. Guilt washed over her again.

"Dad, you don't mind if Quinn stays the night, do you?" Rachel asked. "Her mom is out of town for a few days."

"Of course not," Leroy told them both with a warm smile. "You can stay as long as you like."

Leroy was more than well aware of who the blonde was in his kitchen. He'd heard the horror stories about the slushies and the name calling, but he'd also heard how that had all stopped when the girl had gotten pregnant. He also knew exactly who the girl's parents were and felt horribly that a child had to grow up with a father like Russell Fabray.

"Thank you," Quinn replied.

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile before setting his gaze on his daughter. "Your daddy won't be home for about an hour so why don't you girls do whatever it is that teenage girls do until he does."

Rachel grinned and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Dad."

He nodded with a smile before winking at Quinn. "Of course."

"Come on," Rachel said as she grasped Quinn's hand and pulled her towards her bedroom upstairs.

"So exactly how much of our history do your dads know?" Quinn asked as she stepped into the room and flopped down on the bed.

Rachel pretended to think about that for a moment. "All of it."

"The slushies?" Quinn asked. Rachel nodded. "The names?" Rachel nodded again and Quinn sighed. "Crap. They're never going to like me."

"They also know how nice you've been to me lately," Rachel told her softly. "Eventually to them the score will even out."

"Yeah in about eight years," Quinn grumbled with a sigh. "I really wanted them to like me. Usually I charm parents."

"Why do you want them to like you so much?" Rachel asked, an amused smile on her face.

"Because they're your parents," Quinn told her. "We're friends now, right?" She smiled when Rachel nodded. "So you're important to me. And they're important to me because they're important to you."

Rachel smiled slyly. "I can see how you charm parents."

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked, her eyes twinkling.

Rachel shrugged, a light blush erupting over her cheeks. "You can be very charming when you want to be."

"You think?" Quinn asked, finding the other girl's blush adorable.

Rachel nodded. "I think."

"I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but you can be rather charming yourself, Rach," Quinn told her.

Rachel felt her blush deepen and she shook her head. She was quiet for a few moments until she met Quinn's eyes. "Why was your dad so angry at you earlier?"

Quinn shook her head. "He's just being an ass."

"You should tell your mom about it," Rachel suggested softly. "She should know if he's harassing you."

Quinn shook her head. "My mother and I don't really talk about anything…important."

Rachel felt her heart ache a little. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must be like."

"Lonely," Quinn replied before she could stop herself. Her eyes flew up to meet Rachel's, wide and nervous. "I didn't mean that."

Rachel studied her for a few moments. "I think you did."

Quinn opened her mouth to argue but realized she really couldn't. "I know I'm popular and I shouldn't be saying this, but sometimes I'm surrounded by people and I feel completely alone."

"I know all about being alone," Rachel mumbled softly.

It was Quinn's turn for a little heartache. She reached out for Rachel's hand. "You're not alone anymore, Rach. You have me and you have Santana and B by association. I promise you you're not alone."

"Neither are you," Rachel told her with a brilliant smile.

And in that moment, Quinn knew she wasn't.

**XX**

A few hours later the two girls entered the bedroom again after having dinner with Rachel's dads.

"Mmm, can I come over for dinner every night?" Quinn wondered with a content smile as she flopped down on the bed. "That was amazing."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Rachel told her with a smile.

"Your daddy hates me," Quinn pointed out suddenly, sighing heavily. "I hate that he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Rachel told her with a laugh. "He just worries about me."

"I'm so sorry, Rachel," Quinn said softly, instantly growing serious. "I've been so horrible to you for so long and no matter what you've always been kind to me."

"That's not true," Rachel told her. "I was the one that told Finn about the baby."

"But your motives weren't cruel, they were selfish," Quinn argued. "And please don't take that the wrong way."

Rachel shook her head. "I know what you mean."

Quinn was quiet for a moment as she took a look around the room. "Doesn't the thought of moving away for Broadway scare you just a little?"

"Not at all," Rachel told her immediately.

Quinn sighed, shaking her head. "You're really brave." At Rachel's questioning glance she shrugged. "I'd be too afraid of failure to even try." She laughed. "But I guess with your talent it's more of an inevitability than the rest of us."

"You really think I'm talented?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

Quinn met her eyes. "Of course I do."

"The comments on my myspace videos say differently," Rachel mumbled.

Quinn felt another vicious stab of guilt and she frowned. "I'm so sorry. I was just jealous."

"Jealous?" Rachel asked. "Of me?"

"Of course," Quinn replied. "I was stuck in an itchy cheerleading uniform with my hair pulled back too tight. I have to stick to an insane diet hat makes me sick more often than not with a flock of sheep at my feet doing exactly what I say but also ready to overthrow the moment they find suitable ammunition." Quinn met her eyes. "And you. You were singing. Doing what you love. And you're so good that I was insanely jealous of you and I wanted you to feel as horrible as I did."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with all of that," Rachel told her sincerely. "I guess even popularity has its price."

"Being on top is worth it, trust me," Quinn told her. She reached for Rachel's hand. "I can keep you safe, Rachel. And that's worth it, too."

Rachel searched those hazel eyes for a long moment and she smiled. "Thank you, Quinn."

Quinn quirked a half-smile that made Rachel's heart flutter a bit. "You're welcome."

"How about a movie?" Rachel asked suddenly, swallowing hard and wondering when her mouth got so dry.

Quinn nodded. "Sounds perfect."

An hour later the girls were settled next to each other on the bed. Quinn was doing her best to remain still as she tried not to wake the slumbering girl next to her. Rachel had fallen asleep with her head rested on the blonde's shoulder and had snuggled into her side.

Quinn managed to slip from bed long enough to shut off the light and she got them both settled under the blankets. She smiled when Rachel snuggled into her side again and it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep with her arms wrapped around the tiny brunette that was beginning to steal her heart.

**XX**

"You're going down, Lopez," Quinn sing-songed the next morning at the brunette's locker.

Santana arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Sorry, Q. There's really only one blonde I'll go down for."

"Don't be gross," Quinn replied with a playful roll of her eyes.

"I'm being honest," Santana reminded her with a wink. "But what the hell are you going on about?"

"I stayed at Rachel's last night," Quinn told her, a haughty tone to her voice.

Santana's jaw dropped, her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"After everything with my dad yesterday she asked me to sleep over since my mom is out of town," Quinn said with a shrug. She suddenly smirked. "Plus I met her dads and they love me. I'm _so_ winning."

"Damn," Santana muttered. "Guess I have to up my game." She paused and considered Quinn's words. "Her dads love you? How is that even possible? Are they totally oblivious to everything that we've done to Rachel since we were eight?"

"Okay so love was a bit strong," Quinn admitted with a shrug, her expression just a bit sheepish. "But it won't be long before they do love me."

Santana stared at Quinn for a moment until she looked rather proud. "Nice work, Q. Finn's going to be pissed."

"He already knows," Quinn told her with a grin. "He called last night to see if he could come over and she told him I was over."

"Nice," Santana whispered to herself. She held a hand up and grinned when Quinn high-fived her. "He won't last the weekend."

"Definitely not," Quinn agreed.

"Speaking of dads…what was up with daddy dearest yesterday anyways?" Santana asked.

Quinn's grin slipped instantly and she glanced up and down the hall to be sure they were alone. "He doesn't want me being friends with Rachel."

"What?" Santana asked, her eyes confused. "How does he even know? That's freaky."

"No idea." Quinn sighed, her bottom lip sliding between her teeth. "He thinks her dads are going to convert me."

Santana snorted. "He's such a bastard, Q. I'm sorry."

Quinn shrugged, her grin returning instantly. "Imagine what's going to happen when he finds out I'm dating her."

"But you're not dating her," Santana reminded her, one slim eyebrow raised.

"Not yet," Quinn replied confidently.

"I got this hot new dress to wear tomorrow night," Santana told her, changing the subject suddenly. "Super short, super strapless. Rachel won't know she's straight when she sees me in it."

"Your short dress still won't put you ahead of me," Quinn told her with a smirk. "I slept in her _bed_ last night."

"You bitch," Santana grumbled.

"Relax, S," Quinn insisted with a laugh. "We're working together to get Finn out of the way, then the competition really begins. Remember?"

Santana nodded, knowing she was behind before it even really began. She had to come up with something that would put her so far ahead of Quinn that Rachel wouldn't even remember the blonde's name.

"Wow, I haven't seen that face in a while," Quinn noticed, frowning slightly. "I hate that face."

"What face?" Santana asked, mildly offended.

"That," Quinn replied, pointing at her. "That's your plotting face."

"It's my thinking face," Santana grumbled.

"Thinking, plotting, all the same to you," Quinn teased with a grin.

"Whatever, Q," Santana dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I will tell you one thing that's going to put me miles ahead of you eventually though."

"Really? What's that?" Quinn asked, completely confident that she was going to win.

"Let's just say I have some mad skills that B and I have been developing for a few years now and I don't know about you…" Santana paused for dramatic effect. "…but _I_ won't freak out at the thought of going down on another girl."

Quinn was suddenly paralyzed by panic as Santana's words washed over her. "Crap."

Santana's laughter echoed off the walls as she strutted away, confident that she had this one in the bag.

**XX**

**A.N. **Thanks for reading this one and sticking with it! Up next will be the girls getting ready for the party and maybe some of the party itself so let me know your thoughts on this one while I get that one ready for you guys!


	14. Chapter 14

A.N. Hey guys! You guys are awesome with reviews on this story! Thank you so much...it's really meant a lot to me to know you guys are liking this story. Here's the pre-party scene...

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Hey, Rach!" Santana greeted happily as she pulled her front door open the next night.

An amused smile graced Rachel's lips as she was tugged through the front door. "Hi, Santana."

"Q's upstairs picking out something to wear, come on," she told the diva as she pulled her through the house. "I figured since Finnessa is driving I could start drinking now."

"Santana please don't call him that," Rachel chastised half-heartedly.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Santana apologized half-heartedly.

They shared a grin.

"I should warn you," Santana confided quietly as she grasped Rachel's hand and pulled her up the steps to her bedroom. She leaned in close to Rachel as they walked. "I have a tendency to be a bit touchy-feely when I'm drunk. I just don't want to offend you later."

Rachel's mouth dropped open and she nodded. "O-okay." She grinned bashfully suddenly. "I've never been drunk so I have no idea what kind of drunk I am."

"Will we be finding out tonight?" Santana wondered with an absolutely wicked smirk that made the other brunette's mouth go dry.

"Probably," Rachel replied with a nod. She pulled the other girl to a stop. "Santana?"

"Yeah?" the cheerleader asked as she turned.

"It won't offend me," Rachel told her softly with a half-smile. She shrugged. "Just so you know."

Santana grinned. "Come on." She grasped Rachel's hand, pulling her up the last few steps. She pushed her bedroom door open and it looked like a scene from a teenage movie. Music was playing and clothes were strewn everywhere and Quinn was standing in front of a full-length mirror holding a dress up in front of her.

It was like one of Rachel Berry's teenage dreams coming true and it made her heart sing.

Quinn turned with a half-smile that was very much starting to grow on Rachel and it made her heart flutter just a bit. Perhaps it was all the anticipation but she felt absolutely high in that moment.

"Hey, Rach," Quinn greeted cheerfully.

"Hi," Rachel replied with a wide smile of her own. She slipped her coat off and slung it on the back of Santana's desk chair before taking a seat on the bed to watch the other two.

Santana reached for her cup, frowning as she turned it upside down and found it to be empty. "I need a refill. Q?" Quinn nodded, inspecting a new dress in the mirror. Santana set dark eyes on Rachel, a hint of a flirt behind her eyes. "How about a drink, Rach? Loosen up before we get there."

Rachel blinked. It was now or never. She'd never had anything to drink before and knew the dangers of drinking and what it could do to her voice.

"Rach, sweetie, you're doing it again," Quinn told her, a soft smile on her face.

Santana shot a quick glare at Quinn before nodded at Rachel. "Yeah, come on, baby girl, we won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

Quinn's eyes narrowed in the mirror. She figured she was one up on Santana with the term of endearment already between herself and Rachel, but obviously Santana was keeping up. "Think of it as research for a potential character."

"Totally," Santana agreed, not having the slightest clue what Quinn was talking about. She just wanted Rachel to loosen up. But the smile Rachel gave Quinn in that moment made her jaw clench.

She'd obviously missed something.

"Okay," Rachel agreed.

"Cool," Santana replied. "Be right back."

Rachel watched her exit the room and turned to Quinn. She studied the blonde for a moment wondering if she had any clue how beautiful she was.

"What?" Quinn asked with a bashful smile.

Rachel shook her head, her eyes averting and head dropping as a blush spread over her cheeks, she was desperately ignoring the way her stomach flip-flopped. "It's nothing."

"Rach, tell me," Quinn insisted with a chuckle. Seeing Rachel blush was kind of adorable.

Rachel worried her bottom lip between two rows of perfect teeth for a moment. "I was just wondering if you had any idea how beautiful you are. It's really not fair."

Quinn blinked. That had been the last thing she expected the diva to say. "Thanks, Rachel. I can't remember the last time I heard that. It means a lot."

"I have a hard time believing that," Rachel told her.

Quinn shook her head. "Finn was never really one to drop a compliment unless it was to tell me my ass looked good in the Cheerios uniform. Sam wasn't exactly gushing about me either."

Rachel allowed an understanding smile to reach her lips. "Was Finn always in his own head when the two of you were together?"

"Yes," Quinn told her. "He internalizes everything. He's kind of self-absorbed like that."

"Who's self-absorbed? Mr. Schue?" Santana asked as she entered the room.

"Finn," Quinn told her with a smirk.

"Totally," Santana agreed as she set the three cups down. "Gin and juice, ladies. Drink up."

"Seriously?" Quinn asked with a smirk.

Santana shook her head. "No, it's actually vodka and juice, but that doesn't roll off the tongue quite the same, does it?"

"Not so much," Quinn agreed as she grabbed her drink and took a sip. "Very nice."

"As if there was any doubt," Santana said with a smirk. She set her gaze on Rachel who was staring at her cup. "I didn't put much in yours, Rach. I figured you could work your way up."

Rachel was actually sort of touched by Santana's thoughtfulness and she smiled up at her. "Thank you. That was very considerate of you."

Santana winked at her. "No worries. Let's just have some fun tonight."

"To having fun tonight," Quinn announced as she held her cup up.

"To having fun," Santana repeated, her cup up to touch Quinn's.

They both set their eyes on Rachel to see what she would decide. She finally smiled and held her cup up to the other two. "To having fun."

The other two cheered and they all took sips of their drinks. Rachel was surprised when her drink didn't taste like anything but orange juice and found that maybe having a few drinks wouldn't be so bad.

**XX**

Fifteen minutes later she was feeling a little differently about her drink. Her lips felt a little numb and she found it rather warm in Santana's bedroom suddenly. Of course it could have been because Santana and Quinn were draped all over her. Santana was practically sitting in her lap as she applied her make up while Quinn did her hair.

"Hold still, Rach," Santana instructed gently as she applied eyeliner.

"Sorry," Rachel replied.

A moment later Santana pulled back to admire her handiwork. She grinned and nodded. "Perfect."

Quinn shifted her focus to Rachel's face from her hair and she nodded. "You look amazing, Rach."

"Totally hot," Santana agreed. "Time to find you something to wear, baby girl."

Rachel turned in her chair and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Quinn had pulled her bangs up off her forehead and curled her hair in loose curls to frame her face. Santana had done a perfect job on her make up, her eyes were smoky and it was very subtle.

She looked _good_.

"You have fantastic legs so we need to go with something short," Santana was musing from the inside of her massive closet.

"Definitely," Quinn agreed with a smile as she began working on her own hair.

"Are you comfortable with strapless?" Santana asked as she peeked her head out of the closet and set her gaze on Rachel, stopping short, her heart skipping in her chest. "Damn you look gorgeous," she breathed before Rachel could even answer. She winced in embarrassment.

Rachel was suddenly rendered breathless. The look Santana had just given her made her stomach flip-flop. And rather than examine exactly why that was she shook her head. "Um, no to the strapless. If I'm drinking even a little tonight I don't want to have to worry about it."

"No problem," Santana assured her as she ducked back into the closet.

Quinn had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at her friend and she turned to Rachel. "So are you excited about tonight, Rach?"

Rachel nodded, trying desperately to be cool in that moment. "I'm very much looking forward to it."

"We should go over the rules with her, Q," Santana called from the closet. She appeared in the doorway holding a dress up. "How about this?"

"Yes to the rules, no to that dress," Quinn told her. "Maybe something with one shoulder?"

"Ooh, definitely," Santana agreed with a grin.

"Rule one," Quinn started. "Always take a buddy to the bathroom. Drunk high school boys have no sense of boundaries."

"Rule two," Santana called out. "Never, under any circumstances, take a drink that someone you don't know gives you."

"Rule three," Quinn said. "Don't set your drink down and leave it unattended." Rachel nodded looking slightly overwhelmed. Quinn smiled. "We just need to make sure you're safe. But we'll be there and we'll keep an eye on you."

"Totally," Santana agreed as she stepped from her closet with a short black dress that was one-shouldered. "How about this?"

Rachel was instantly in love with the dress. "Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing one of your dresses? It looks expensive."

"Rach, it's cool," Santana insisted with a smile. "Besides, you'll look totally smokin' in this and I can't pass that up."

"Go ahead and get changed, Rach, we still need to find you shoes," Quinn told her as she started her own make up. "Hey, S, can you help me with the back of my hair?"

"Yep, just a sec," Santana replied as she changed in the closet quickly.

"I can do it," Rachel told them. She moved to sit behind Quinn and picked up the curling iron. She raked her fingers through soft, silky blonde locks for a moment, missing the way Quinn's eyes fluttered, and she wrapped them around the curling iron.

"Thanks, Rach," Quinn told her.

Rachel met her gaze in the mirror and smiled. It only took a moment to finish Quinn's hair and she set the iron down and stood up to finish her drink.

"So what do we think?" Santana asked as she stepped out of her closet and turned in a slow circle. Her hair was curled and as promised her dress was super short and strapless.

"It's really not fair to go to a party with the two of you looking the way you do," Rachel told them both, unable to take her eyes off Santana looking the way she did. "No one will even notice me."

"Trust me when I say that everyone will notice you looking like that, Rach," Quinn told her.

"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel told her. "You look beautiful, Santana."

Santana grinned grabbed a pair of heels, handing them to Rachel. "Try these."

Ten minutes later the girls were dressed and in the kitchen taking another shot before Finn got to the house.

"Are you sure your dad won't be home tonight?" Rachel asked as she glanced around at the liquor bottles.

"He's in Dallas for a convention," Santana replied, her eyes flashing sadly for a moment.

Rachel felt her heart tug a little and she suddenly leaned forward and pulled her into a warm hug. "Thank you for all of this tonight."

Santana smiled and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. She refused to think about how good it felt to have Rachel wrapped around her. "No problem, Rach."

The doorbell suddenly rang and the girls all headed for the door. Finn's jaw dropped when the door opened. His current girlfriend, ex girlfriend and the girl he'd lost his virginity to were all standing in the doorway looking _**HOT**_ and it was nearly too much for him to take.

"Wow," he breathed as he stepped forward to pull Rachel towards him.

Quinn and Santana exchanged a sidelong glance, both rolling their eyes.

"She's totally hot, Finnocence," Santana said as she pulled the door closed to lock it. "Better keep an eye on her or someone else might try to swoop in and steal her away from you."

"You look awesome, Rachel," Finn told her, his hands instantly dropping to her ass as he hugged her.

Quinn opened her mouth to tell him of, but a hand on her wrist pulled her focus away and onto Santana who was subtly shaking her head.

"Let's roll," Santana insisted as she pushed past Finn to get him moving. It was pissing her off to see him drool all over Rachel the way he was.

Quinn watched with amusement as Finn glared at Santana, causing Rachel to smack him in the chest. There were a few seconds of silent communication between the two of them before they headed for the car with Quinn trailing them.

**XX**

**A.N. **Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to get the next part up as soon as I can so in the meantime please leave me your thoughts and votes, etc.

Up next is the party! Yay!


	15. Chapter 15

A.N. Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the love you've sent my way on this story! I totally appreciate it. This one is a bit weird…I want to be honest about it. If I posted the whole party we'd be here all night…it's a bit on the long side so I'll intro the party in this one and hopefully finish it out in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

p.s. I told you guys I'd be switching the pairing this story goes under until I figure out who Rachel will end up and we're making the switch over to Pezberry for a bit because I think Santana gets a bit more quality time with Rachel over the next little bit.

**XX**

Puck pulled the front door open and held his arms out in an exaggerated gesture. "Sup, homies? Come in, come in." He shut the door and led the four of them through the house. "Keg is in the back deck, liquor in the kitchen." He looked Santana up and down. "Damn, girl, you look smokin' tonight."

"Save it," she told him, holding one hand up in his face.

He rolled his eyes and noticed Rachel for the first time. "Damn, Berry."

Quinn suddenly wrapped an arm around Rachel and put herself between the diva and Puck. "Don't even think about it, Puckerman."

"That's kind of my line," Finn mumbled with a glare.

"Finn, I know you're used to having Rachel all to yourself, but we're her friends now so you're going to have to get used to other people sticking up for her," Quinn told him with a glare of her own.

"I can stick up for her just fine on my own," Finn argued back.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Santana asked, her eyes rolling. "Q and I have more sway than anyone else in school and we're trying to keep her safe. And you're telling us to leave her alone. What does that say about you, buddy?"

He took a step towards her, only stopping when Rachel's hand pressed against his chest and she met his eyes. "Finn, she's right. Be nice."

"You guys need a drink," Puck noted as he watched the interaction between the four of them.

"We do," Santana agreed with a nod as she grasped Rachel's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen with Quinn trailing after them.

Finn watched them for a moment before turning to Puck. "Something weird is going on, isn't it?"

"Santana says she wants to be friends with Rachel," Puck told him with a shrug.

"Quinn too," Finn mumbled. "And that's weird."

"Chicks are weird, dude," Puck reminded him. He clapped Finn on the back and steered him towards the back deck. "The guys are out back, let's get you a beer."

**XX**

Rachel had never been to a party.

Not a real one anyways. The last party she'd been invited to was in the third grade and it had been her one and only sleepover. So when Puck had yanked the door open and music spilled out over the front porch Rachel was feeling butterflies in her stomach. She decided it was because she was at her first real party. Not because she was sandwiched between the two most popular girls in school and they had been fawning all over her for the last few hours.

She still couldn't figure out why Quinn and Santana were being so nice. She was trying very hard to accept that maybe they were making up for past mistakes and really trying to be her friend. She wanted to believe it. But a tiny part of her still felt like it was a set up. She wasn't as naïve as everyone thought she was. She was smart and she had good instincts so she knew she wasn't completely off base. She just hoped that whatever it was that they were doing wouldn't end too horribly for herself or glee club and she made a conscious decision to just go with it. If something was going on with the cheerleaders under the radar at least she could gain some popularity points in the process, right? And the added bonus would be that she wouldn't be so alone.

"Here," Santana interrupted her thoughts as she handed the diva a shot glass with amber liquid in it.

"Don't give her that," Quinn told Santana with a frown as she reached for the glass in Rachel's right hand. She handed her a different shot glass with clear liquid in it and met her gaze. "Rule 4, don't mix clear and dark liquor. Stick with one."

Santana shrugged and tilted her head back, wincing as her shot burned down her throat. "I only saw JD on the counter." She winked at Rachel. "Sorry, Rach."

Rachel shook her head. "It's fine." She stared at the shot glass for a moment before mimicking Santana's actions, coughing and sputtering after she swallowed.

"Here," Santana coaxed, handing Rachel a soda.

"Thank you," Rachel rasped, her throat still burning and eyes watering. She smiled a moment later when Santana's hand began rubbing circles on her back.

"You okay?" the Latina asked.

Rachel nodded and took a sip of her soda. "I'm okay."

"Let's dance," Santana suggested. She grabbed each girl's hand and pulled them towards the center of the living room where a large group had gathered to dance.

"Rach, you look awesome!" Tina greeted from nearby where she was dancing with Mike. She pushed her way through the crowd and pulled Rachel into a hug, teetering just a bit after a few drinks.

Rachel blushed. "Santana and Quinn did it all."

Tina looked a little uncomfortable with the two cheerleaders but she faced them with a bright smile. "Hi, Quinn, hi, Santana."

"Hi, Tina," Quinn greeted with a smile.

"Hey," Santana replied. She began swaying to the beat, one hand dropping to Rachel's hip.

"I love your dress," Tina gushed to Rachel.

"It's Santana's," Rachel replied, smiling at Tina's tipsy state.

"Oh." Tina couldn't hide the confusion that stretched across her face but she quickly masked it with a bright smile. "We're going to go get a drink."

Santana watched Rachel watching Tina and Mike walk away. "People just aren't used to us hanging out, Rach."

Rachel set questioning eyes on the brunette cheerleader before sweeping over the mass of people around them watching and whispering. "How long do you think it'll take before people stop staring?"

Santana smirked. "Baby girl, you look totally hot so I'd say they probably won't stop staring."

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully at the other girl, her chest tightening when Santana's arms wrapped around her gently as they danced to a song blaring from the speakers.

"Look, whether you realize it or not," Santana started, waiting for dark eyes to meet hers, "You're one of us now. That means people watch you and want to be you. Enjoy it while you can because it can be fleeting. All it takes is one blonde cheerleader to knock your legs out from under you and steal your spot on top."

"You're still on top," Rachel reminded her.

"Tell that to the bruises on my back from bony ass knees," Santana muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Rachel frowned. "You really have bruises?"

"I bruise easy," Santana reasoned with a shrug, waving it off. "Don't worry about me. I'm good." Santana swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked rapidly to keep her tears from spilling over her cheeks. She wanted to change the subject because she couldn't admit even for a moment that she was desperate for someone to care. For someone to notice.

For someone to love her.

Rachel's eyes seemed to penetrate right through to her soul in that moment and the shorter girl nodded, sensing that the conversation was over. For now. She also knew that she wasn't about to give up on peeling back more layers of who Santana Lopez really was.

**XX**

A.N. Like I said, a bit weird. The next part was just waaay too long to put it all together so the next chapter should be a bit on the long side. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you can take a minute to let me know your thoughts.

Up next? Three words: Truth or Dare!


	16. Chapter 16

A.N. Hey guys! I decided to give you guys a little extra holiday love for the awesome reviews I've been getting for this story. This one is a bit longer than the others and it has some good stuff in it (in my opinion anyways). I had a great day today so I thought I'd pay it forward in a sense.

Enjoy!

**XX**

An hour later Santana pulled Rachel, who in turn pulled Quinn, from the dance floor to find another drink and the girls made their way into the kitchen.

"Having fun, Rach?" Quinn asked with a grin, the tip of her tongue peeking out.

Rachel nodded, grinning as well. Her cheeks puffed out when Santana handed her another shot. "Here we go."

"Hey, Q," Puck suddenly greeted from behind the three of them.

"Hi, Puck," she replied with a tight smile. Things were still kind of awkward between them.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked as he jutted a thumb over his shoulder.

"Sure." Quinn turned to Rachel, placing a hand on her arm. "I'll be back."

Rachel nodded and watched as the two of them walked away. She frowned as a bit of jealousy wormed its way into her stomach. She frowned wondering where it came from. She had no claim to Quinn's attention all night.

"You okay?" Santana asked as she took another shot.

Rachel met her eyes and nodded. "Fine."

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You look a little jealous."

Rachel shook her head and reached for another shot glass. "Let's have another."

Santana nodded and poured them each one more. She'd had enough that it didn't burn as it went down and she grasped Rachel's hand. "Let's go outside for a while."

"Hey, Rach," Finn greeted from behind them, grasping Rachel's other hand. He smiled at her and shot a withering glare at Santana, eyeing the hand she had clasped in Rachel's.

"Hi, Finn," Rachel greeted with a smile. She leaned up to kiss him, wondering why she felt guilty kissing Finn in front of Santana suddenly. "Where have you been?"

"Out back with the guys," Finn told her with a shrug, glancing down at Rachel's hand still intertwined with Santana's. His jaw clenched and he gently tugged Rachel closer to him.

"We were going outside for a bit, why don't you come with us?" she suggested, pointing towards the front of the house.

He shook his head. "Why don't we dance?"

In that moment Rachel was conflicted. Santana still had a hold of her right hand; the other girl's hand was soft and warm in her own. Finn's much larger hand swallowed hers whole and she could feel each of them subtly tugging her in their direction.

"We've been dancing for an hour," Rachel told him hesitantly. "It's really hot in here."

"But you haven't danced with me," he reminded her, a bit of a pout on his lips.

"Anxious to show us all your moves, Finn?" Santana smirked.

His eyes narrowed as he set his sight on her. "Mind your own business."

"You're the one interrupting," she told him.

"Rach, come on," Finn urged with a tug on her hand.

"I just need some air," she told him.

Santana grinned triumphantly and tugged at Rachel's hand a bit harder. She rolled her eyes when she kissed him again and waited rather impatiently until Rachel was ready to head outside. She shot Finn a smirk over her shoulder as she led Rachel, by the hand, out the front door to the abandoned front porch where they took a seat next to each other on the steps.

"So what's up with you and him anyways?" Santana asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"How serious is it?"

"We dated all summer," Rachel told her.

"Okay." Santana shrugged. "But what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure," Rachel realized. "I suppose we're serious."

"Is he a good boyfriend?" Santana wondered. She leaned in just a bit closer to Rachel so their shoulders were nearly touching.

"Of course," Rachel replied instantly.

"So he brings you flowers and writes you sappy love notes or whatever guys to do prove they like you?" Santana wondered. She'd never really been into any of that stuff but she assumed Rachel was.

Rachel blinked. "Um…no, not really." She shrugged. "I try to be good to him though. I bake him banana bread and cookies. I fold his laundry when I go to his house."

"Rach, you're not his mom," Santana told her with a frown. "He should be better to you."

Rachel opened her mouth to protest. Who was Santana Lopez to be questioning her relationship with Finn? She'd never had a real relationship in her life. But part of her felt like the other girl was right. "H-how you think?"

Santana smirked in the darkness because she knew she had Rachel right where she wanted her.

Doubting Finn.

"He should make you feel like you're the only girl in the world. Like you're special to him. When you talk to him he should make you feel like nothing else going on around you matters. It's what I'd do."

"Santana," Rachel breathed, a giggle escaping her lips.

"You deserve better than what he gives you," Santana told her quietly. "That's all I'm saying."

"Maybe," Rachel mumbled sadly with a shrug.

"You do," Santana told her, their eyes locking for a moment.

"There you guys are!" Quinn exclaimed breathlessly as she pushed through the front door, frowning at their closeness. "We're playing truth or dare." Her eyes met Santana's and they both smirked a little. "Come on."

Santana stood up and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her to her feet as well. "Come on, Rach."

"I'm not sure truth or dare is the best idea," Rachel warned them, a flood of butterflies suddenly swarming her belly.

"Trust me, it's better than the alternative," Quinn assured her as they entered the house.

"Which is?" Rachel asked almost scared to find out the answer.

"Strip poker," Quinn told her with a wink. She slid her hand into Rachel's to tug the diva along after her.

"Rach, you want another drink?" Santana asked.

Rachel paused in that moment and took in her surroundings. She was with the two most popular girls in school and for reasons still unknown they were doting on her. She was at a party on a Friday night with her friends from glee and she decided in that moment to just let go. She nodded. "Sure."

Santana winked at her and turned towards the kitchen.

Quinn steered her in nearly the opposite direction, pulling her towards the group that had gathered in the living room. She squeezed herself in between Rachel and Puck knowing the position would leave Santana to fight with Finn again for the other side of the diva and after their lunch showdown days before it would make for another entertaining fight.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, breaking Quinn's train of thought suddenly.

Quinn met dark, questioning eyes and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You and Noah were talking for quite a while," Rachel clarified with a shrug.

Quinn shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips. "He's just being Puck." She could tell by the diva's expression that she wanted a little more than that. "I'll tell you about it later."

Rachel nodded, pleased with the revised answer the blonde had given her and smiled.

Quinn watched as Santana approached, a wide, teasing grin on her face when Santana realized the situation. The brunette scowled at her for a moment before approaching the group. She began to maneuver her way between Rachel and Finn before he glared at her and scooted in closer to his girlfriend, sliding an arm around her waist.

"Here, Rach," Santana said, leaning down between them.

Rachel pulled back from Finn and smiled up at the cheerleader. "Thanks, Santana."

"Better check to see if she spit in it," Finn grumbled, his eyes narrowing at the cheerleader.

Rachel glared at him and pushed him away, patting the spot on the couch next to her. "Finn, don't be rude. Sit down here, Santana."

Santana smirked and dropped down into the space Rachel made for her. "Thanks, Rach." She was sure to dig her elbow into Finn's side a bit as she wiggled down in between them and she turned her body to face towards the diva, sitting unnecessarily close to her.

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed, rubbing his side.

"Shh, we're starting," Santana dismissed with a wave of her hand. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud when she heard Quinn giggling on the other side of Rachel.

"I'll start," Puck announced as he rubbed his hands together deviously. "Santana, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she replied. She was smart enough not to take a dare from him.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" Puck asked.

Santana felt Finn stiffen next to her and she smirked, wondering briefly if Rachel knew about the night that she and Finn had been together. Though if Rachel didn't know it would make her look nearly as bad as Finn so she figured she would keep that to herself for now. "Fourteen." She shrugged. "Finn, truth or dare?"

He set wide eyes on her and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was. "Dare."

She smirked. He was far too easy. "Kiss Puck."

"No way!" Finn exclaimed, shaking his head.

Santana shrugged. "Then drink."

He took a long sip of his drink and seemed to heave a sigh of relief. "Tina, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she replied with a shy smile.

"Are you a virgin?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied with a shrug to the chorus of ooh's and ahh's. "Brittany, truth or dare?"

"Ummm, truth," she replied.

"Who's a better kisser, Artie or Santana?" she asked.

"Santana," Brittany replied dreamily, missing the triumphant look Tina shot Artie's way and the glare he shot back. "Q, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Quinn replied without really thinking about it, but knowing any dare by Brittany would be fairly harmless.

"Kiss Rachel," Brittany ordered. Brittany had definitely not been in on their plan but she was certainly helping things along. Of course Santana knew that despite Brittany's ditzier moments, she was very perceptive.

"What? No way!" Finn cut in immediately. He shot up out of his chair and waved his hands around. "No."

Santana laughed. "Dude, it's just a game."

"Seriously," Puck agreed with a furious nod. "Sit down and shut up."

Finn opened his mouth to respond but clamped it shut when he saw the way Rachel was looking at him.

"Friends can kiss each other," Quinn told him with a smirk.

"Yeah me and S used to kiss all the time," Brittany announced.

Santana blushed a little at that. "Not the best time, B." She winked at her best friend to let her know that it was no big deal. She didn't want to hurt her feelings. The smile that Brittany shot her way was more than enough to let Santana know that the blonde got the idea.

Rachel glanced to her left to find Quinn watching her with a bit of a smile. She swallowed hard, her eyes shutting for a moment until a warm hand rested on her arm. "It's okay, Rach." Quinn's voice was like honey, all warm and soothing and it washed over her causing her nerves to evaporate.

Rachel nodded and turned to face her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Quinn leaned in slowly, her head ducking lower. Rachel's eyes closed as the tip of her nose came in contact with Quinn's and her heart skipped when the blonde's lips pressed against hers.

Rachel had never kissed a girl before. It was soft and sweet. Quinn's lips were nearly perfect. There was no annoying stubble to irritate her skin and Quinn tasted and smelled _so good_.

"Alright, alright," Santana interrupted a moment later.

"Will you shut up?" Puck asked her, wincing a moment later when she slapped him in the chest. Hard.

Quinn pulled away, grinning a little at the bewildered expression on Rachel's face. She licked her lips, smirking when Rachel's eyes followed her tongue's movement. "Not bad, Berry."

Rachel smiled, a blush erupting over her features. "You too, Fabray." She turned to face the group, mindful to keep her eyes off Finn, who was glaring a hole right through her. "Um, Mike, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied, his chest puffing out, proud of himself for taking the dare.

Rachel thought for a moment. "Um, break dance in your boxers for two minutes."

A chorus of laughter and 'ooohs' broke out in the room and Mike nodded. "Okay." He stripped down to his boxers and pointed at Puck to turn the music up. Then he dropped to the floor in a series of kicks and spins, with everyone soon clapping along. They all cheered when he was finished and he was sure to kiss Tina, who had gotten rather flushed through his performance, when he was finished.

"Quinn, truth or dare?" Mike asked as he pulled his clothes back on. The music stayed loud and he remained standing, dancing to the beat as he observed the rest of the game.

"Truth," she told him.

He smirked. "Who's a better kisser, Finn, Puck or Rachel?"

Santana let out a bark of laughter at this and held her beer up to clink against Mike's. "Nice."

"Rachel," Quinn announced without a moment of hesitation. "S, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Santana told her with a grin. This was it.

"I dare you to do a body shot off Rachel," Quinn dared.

"No way!" Finn exclaimed.

"Dude, shut up!" Puck told him.

"It's harmless, Finnocence," Santana told him with a smirk.

"It's fine, Finn," Rachel told him. Her butterflies were back and it seemed they brought friends. "It's just part of the game. Right?"

"Right," Santana told her. She poured herself a shot of tequila and grabbed the saltshaker. She leaned in close to Rachel, so their cheeks were almost touching. "Just relax, Rach. Trust me." Rachel nodded, gulping audibly. Santana brushed dark locks over the diva's shoulder and leaned in, her tongue swiping over Rachel's neck briefly before she shook some salt over the damp skin. She handed Rachel a lime, and watched as the diva slid it between her lips.

"You ready?" she whispered.

Rachel nodded and Santana smiled at her one more time before she leaned in. Her tongue lingered on Rachel's neck a bit longer this time, causing Rachel's eyes to flutter and a moment later all her brain could register was that Santana's lips barely brushed hers as the brunette took the lime from between her lips.

When the rest of her senses kicked in Rachel noticed that several guys around them were whistling and clapping and the other half of the room looked rather shocked. Suddenly she was pulled to her feet with Quinn's hands were on her hips and she was sandwiched between the two cheerleaders as they danced, the game forgotten as a particularly good song came on and entranced them all.

Then she met Finn's eyes.

His glare was dark and set on Santana, who was beyond buzzed and not paying the least bit of attention to him as the three of them danced. He suddenly stalked towards them and grabbed Santana's shoulder to turn her around to face him.

"Do you mind?" she asked with a glare. "Keep your paws to yourself."

"Rachel's my girlfriend," he told her, his voice low. "Stay away from her."

"She's a big girl, Finn," Santana bit back, her buzz suddenly wearing off. "I'm fairly certain she can make her own decisions about who she's friends with."

"You're up to something," he told her. "And I'm gonna figure out what it is. Until then, keep your slutty hands off my girlfriend."

"Hey, you do not get to talk to her that way," Quinn stepped in, putting herself between Finn and Santana, pointing a slender finger in his face, her face a mask of fury.

"Can you stay out of this?" he barked angrily.

"Don't bother, Q," Santana mumbled as she grabbed a bottle off the table nearby and pushed her way through the crowd and out of the room.

"You're such an ass," Quinn told him. "It makes me wonder how secure you are in your relationship when you're jealous of me and Santana."

"Who said anything about jealous?" he asked.

"Your eyes are practically green," she told him.

Rachel tuned them both out as she pushed through the crowd and made her way back to the front porch. Pushing through large crowds at her height was usually a rather daunting task, but with the alcohol in her system it was even more difficult. She pushed through the front door and found Santana seated where they'd previously been sitting.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, her voice softly breaking the silence on the porch.

Santana gave a quick shake of her head. "I'm fine."

"Santana," Rachel started, frowning slightly. "Please don't shut me out."

"So what if he called me a stupid name," Santana mumbled as she took a quick swig from the bottle.

"Don't listen to him," Rachel told her softly. She blinked hard. "I can't feel much of my face."

Santana smiled in spite of herself because drunk Rachel was kind of adorable. She took another long drink from the bottle, shaking her head. "I really don't get what you're doing with him."

"Santana…" Rachel said softly, sitting down clumsily next to the cheerleader and leaning against her legs. "Goodness." She grasped the bottle from the other girl and took a long drink herself.

"You deserve better," Santana insisted, smiling as the diva's face soured with the taste of the alcohol. She reached out and began idly twirling a strand of Rachel's hair between her fingers.

"As bad as this may sound I'm not sure anyone better out there wants me," Rachel confided softly. "And I'm tired of being alone." Her eyes closed with a content sigh at the feel of Santana playing with her hair. She never realized how much she liked having someone else play with her hair.

"Trust me when I say that there are definitely other options out there," Santana insisted softly. She smiled fondly. "I take it you don't mind me playing with your hair?"

Rachel sighed happily and shook her head. She opened her eyes and turned towards the cheerleader, their faces inches apart. She searched the Santana's eyes and leaned forward slowly, her head tilting as they grew closer together.

A shout from inside that sounded an awful lot like Finn caused them both to jump apart and Rachel grabbed the bottle again, taking a long drink from it.

"Easy, Rach," Santana told her quietly, taking the bottle.

"That was a bad idea I think." Rachel's cheeks puffed out suddenly and she swayed in her seat. "I don't feel so good."

Santana wrapped an arm around her and leaned in close to her knowing it was only going to get worse as all the alcohol hit her. "Are you ready to go?"

Rachel nodded, a deep frown creasing her features.

"Okay," Santana told her. "Stay here for a second and I'll get Q and Frankenteen." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Rachel's temple. "You're going to be fine, baby girl. Just sit tight."

**XX**

A.N. Well, that was the party…hope it lived up to expectations! Up next? Let's just say there will be some post-party care and some next morning snuggles…stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

A.N. Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are amazing! This chapter will wrap up the night of the party and the day after the party so this will close out that particular section of the story. I hope the pace is realistic enough for you guys. I know we're all sick of Finn hanging around but as long as it took Rachel to get him I figured it would take a while for her to get rid of him so he's still hanging around for now...but fear not. The end of Finchel, or whatever the hell it is, is near!

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Ugh, please make it stop," Rachel moaned from the backseat twenty minutes later.

Quinn winced and wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her close. "You'll be okay, Rach. Just take deep breaths."

"Where are you going?" Santana asked Finn from the front. She was half turned in her seat so she could keep an eye on the backseat.

"Taking her home," Finn told her like it was obvious.

"She's totally hammered." Santana rolled her eyes. "We can't take her home, her dads will flip."

"Then where am I supposed to go?" Finn huffed.

"My place," Santana told him. "My dad is away all weekend."

"No way," Finn insisted. His hands suddenly tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

"Don't be a jackass, Hudson," Santana ground out through clenched teeth. "If you take her home she's going to get busted and you can't exactly take her to your house, can you? Q's mom is home and my dad isn't. Take us to my place."

"Fine," he relented with a huffy sigh. "But I'm picking her up first thing in the morning."

"We'll have her call you when she's ready," Santana told him.

"I don't feel so good," Rachel groaned. She leaned in closer to Quinn.

Quinn held her close and swept dark locks away from the diva's eyes. "Rach, just hang on, we'll be there soon. Then you can go to bed, okay?"

"Quinn?" Rachel asked, gazing up at the blonde with a pleading expression.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Quinn asked.

"I'm not dying, am I?" Rachel asked seriously.

Quinn quirked that half-smile and shook her head. "No, Rachel, you're not dying."

"Maybe you shouldn't have let her drink so much," Finn grumbled from the front, glaring at Quinn in the mirror.

"Unlike you, I don't tell Rachel what she can and can't do," Quinn shot back. "She's old enough to decide things like that for herself."

"You're a bad influence on her," he told her, unable to think of anything better to say.

"What are you, five?" Santana asked him. "Just shut up until we get back to mine. My buzz is slowly dying and you're just a bit too much for me right now."

"You're such a bitch!" Finn suddenly exclaimed, his hands slamming on the steering wheel.

"Hey!" Rachel piped up before the other two could even open their mouths. She sat up rather shakily and pointed a finger at him. "Don't you ever call her that again."

"Did you hear what she just said about me?" Finn whined.

"Enough!" Quinn silenced them all. "Let's just all be quiet until we get back to Santana's."

Finn and Santana both seemed to grumble something under their breath but remained quiet until they reached Santana's house. Finn insisted on carrying Rachel into the house and set her down in the living room on the couch before practically ordering the other two to have her call him in the morning.

Santana closed the door behind him and sighed. She turned to her blonde friend. "How did you date him for as long as you did?"

"I have no idea," Quinn told her with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't feel so good," Rachel moaned from the couch. The other two got her up and into the bathroom just in time for the diva to empty the contents of her stomach.

"I'll get her some water," Quinn said softly as she stood up and moved to the sink.

Santana nodded and crouched down behind Rachel, her knees pressing gently into Rachel's thighs. She grasped Rachel's right arm to help keep her steady and her left hand rubbed comforting circles on the diva's back.

"Are you sure I'm not dying?" Rachel groaned. "I feel like death." She suddenly lost her balance, causing Santana and herself to spill back onto the bathroom floor.

Santana and Quinn exchanged a look, both feeling guilty at how drunk Rachel had gotten and how sick she now was.

"Easy, baby girl," Santana whispered as she cradled Rachel against her.

"Here, Rach," Quinn said gently as she handed the sick girl a glass of water.

Rachel grasped the glass in both hands, sipping a little. "Thanks, Quinn." She glanced up at Santana behind her and offered her a weak smile. "Thank you both."

"It's kind of our fault you're sick, don't thank us," Quinn told her softly, sweeping dark locks from the singer's eyes and running a cold cloth over her forehead.

"Think you can get up, Rach?" Santana asked.

Rachel took in a deep shaky breath and nodded bravely. "I think so." The three of them stood in the bathroom until Rachel brushed her teeth then she leaned heavily into Santana.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," Santana told her. They practically carried her into the bedroom. She grabbed an oversized tee shirt from a drawer and set it on the bed. She unzipped the dress Rachel had on and slipped the tee shirt over her head as the dress pooled at her feet.

"Up you go," Quinn told her softly.

Santana stepped into the bathroom for a moment only to emerge again and move to Rachel's side. "Here." She handed the diva three aspirin and a glass of water. "Take these and you might not feel so horrible tomorrow."

Rachel took the pills dutifully and crawled under the blankets, snuggling into the pillows immediately.

The other two watched her for a moment before their eyes met, dopey smiles on each of their faces. Each girl's eyes widened for a moment, realizing they'd been caught staring at Rachel and they both jumped into motion, bustling around the room to change clothes and a minute later they were snuggled on either side of the snoring diva who was beginning to capture the hearts of both the girls snuggled in bed with her.

**XX**

An incessant buzzing woke Quinn the next morning. She blinked several times and wondered briefly what the hell was buzzing to wake her up. She glanced to her right and smiled when she noticed the other two girls snoring quietly, oblivious to whatever it had been that had woken her up. Then she heard it again.

Her cell phone.

She reached over and grabbed it, noticing she had two text messages from her mother. When she read them she groaned quietly to herself, hating that she had to get up early on a Saturday to meet one of her mother's boyfriends, especially when Rachel in bed next to her was sooo warm. But she knew from experience that it was her mother's way of trying to act as though her life was still normal with her daughter.

She sent her mother a reply letting her know she'd be home soon and she turned on her side and watched the slumbering brunette for a moment.

She reached a hand out and ran it over Rachel's sleep-mused locks affectionately and was surprised when Rachel stirred under the touch.

"You're thinking entirely too loudly for a Saturday," Rachel half-whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Sorry," Quinn whispered back, a fond smile on her lips. "I have to go. Do you want me to take you home or do you want to sleep a little longer?" _Please say you want to leave now so you're not left in bed with Santana_, she thought to herself.

Rachel shifted and groaned, her hand covering her eyes. "I don't think I could get up right now if I wanted to."

Quinn deflated a little and propped herself up on her elbow, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind the diva's ear. "Can I get you anything before I go?"

Rachel shook her head, another grunt of pain escaping her lips. "No thank you."

Quinn leaned forward before she could stop herself and pressed her lips to Rachel's forehead. "Sorry you got so sick last night, sweetie."

Rachel cracked an eye open at that and she tried desperately to smile. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

Quinn suddenly smiled Rachel's favorite half-smile and allowed one hand to cup Rachel's face, her thumb trailing a gentle pattern over the brunette's cheekbone. "Call me later if you need me. Okay?"

Rachel smiled. "Okay."

Quinn smiled fondly at her again and slid out of the bed, collecting her things as she left the room and the moment the door clicked shut Rachel rolled over and fell right back to sleep.

**XX**

Two hours later Santana cracked an eye open. Her head was thundering and her mouth felt like she'd eaten a bowl of cotton balls the night before. A small grunt escaped her lips as she rolled over on her other side. She blinked at the sight of the other body in her bed and the night before came rushing back to her.

She frowned as she watched Rachel sleep. The way her body curled in on itself and how small she looked in that moment. She scooted closer to the other girl and wrapped her right arm around Rachel's middle slowly. She paused to see if Rachel would subconsciously reject her and when she didn't Santana pressed her body against the other girl's back and wrapped her in a warm embrace.

Rachel's eyes remained closed though she was sure her thundering heart would give her away. She'd been unable to sleep much longer after Quinn left. About thirty minutes after the blonde had gone, her eyes opened again and she had been trying desperately to get the room to stop spinning.

She'd been shocked when she felt an arm encircle her from behind. A soft, slender arm that belonged to the most feared girl in school. Rachel had used all her will power to remain still and was further shocked when she felt the length of Santana's body press against her back and she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips as she practically melted into the embrace.

"You're awake?" a soft, gravely voice fluttered through the silence and to her ears.

Rachel nodded, desperately ignoring the way her body reacted to that voice. "The room has been spinning for the better part of two hours."

Santana squeezed her gently. "I think you're still a little drunk." She considered her words for a moment. "I think I'm still a little drunk."

Rachel's breath hitched in her throat at the feeling of Santana's warm breath across the back of her neck. "I-I took the liberty of researching the best methods to treat a hangover in case this morning found me with one." She paused. "I didn't consider I might still be inebriated by the time I woke up."

Santana chuckled, her voice still husky with sleep. "More water, more aspirin and more sleep should do the trick." She pulled away from the other girl and rolled over, her feet hitting the floor softly with a thud.

Rachel hated how cold she suddenly felt all alone in the huge bed and she snuggled deeper under the covers, rolling on her back enough to watch the other girl set about getting them each more water and aspirin.

Santana moved to the edge of the bed, setting everything down on the table next to Rachel and she sat down next to the diva, her weight shifting the bed slightly. "Think you can sit up?"

Rachel nodded, her brave face on and smiled gratefully when the cheerleader helped her up and handed her three aspirin and a glass of water.

"Make sure you drink all of that," Santana told her before taking her own meds and finishing her own glass. She set her glass down on the table and crawled over Rachel's body to reclaim her spot in the bed.

This time there was much more space between them.

"Santana?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Hmm?" the cheerleader mumbled, the crook of her elbow pressed against her eyes, trying to block out the early morning sun.

"You said you're still drunk, right?" Rachel wondered.

Santana nodded her head. "Definitely."

Rachel nodded and considered her next statement carefully. She wasn't even sure where it was coming from and in the moment she really didn't care. "Well if you still feel the need to be 'touchy-feely' as you called it, you can go back to snuggling if you want."

Santana's arm shifted from her eyes enough so she could study the other girl in her bed for a moment, smirking when the diva rolled over facing away from her like she'd been earlier. She rolled over as well and pressed her body against Rachel's and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and she smiled when she heard the other girl sigh.

Ten minutes later Rachel was asleep with Santana's face pressed gently into the back of her neck and Santana was convinced that maybe liking Rachel Berry was going to be much easier than she thought.

**XX**

A few hours later things were a little better. Rachel woke slowly, one eye cracking open tentatively to test the waters of what she feared would be a vicious hangover. She was surprised when it wasn't quite as bad as she thought it would be.

She was still nestled safely in the comfort of Santana's arms and that itself was not only surprising but much more comfortable than she cared to admit to herself. Santana was soft and warm and her curves fit with Rachel's much easier and more naturally than Finn's huge frame ever had.

She felt the other girl stir next to her and she took a moment to examine what it felt like to wake up next to another person. It was certainly a first for her and she found she liked it immensely to wake up next to Santana.

A soft press of lips to her shoulder and a content sigh from the body behind hers told her that it seemed as though Santana liked waking up next to her as much as she did.

"How are you feeling?" Santana asked softly, her voice still gravelly and thick and so sexy it hurt.

"Tired and a little sore, but good," Rachel responded softly.

"Mmm," Santana hummed before squeezing Rachel tighter, drawing the shorter girl back into her body more. "Do you need anything?"

Rachel shook her head. "Shouldn't this be weird?"

"What's that?" Santana wondered. Her thumb began tracing patterns on the underside of one of Rachel's wrists.

"Us waking up like this," Rachel clarified.

Santana halted all movement. "Do you want me to move?" She began pulling away slowly.

"No," Rachel responded quickly, grasping the other girl's hand to keep her close. "This is nice. I just didn't know friends did this."

"Friends can do whatever they want to as long as it's okay with both friends," Santana reasoned. "At least that's how I feel about it."

"That makes sense," Rachel replied. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way but you never really struck me as the type to be affectionate."

Santana shrugged a shoulder. "I can be with select people."

"Like Brittany and Noah?" Rachel asked. Her fingers played with the bracelet around Santana's wrist.

"And anyone else I let in." Santana could feel her heart rate increasing and she hated how even _talking_ about letting someone else into her life and her heart made her react so strangely. It was as if she went into a panic just thinking about it.

She was so damaged.

"Does this mean you've let me in?" Rachel wondered softly. She wasn't sure why the thought of Santana letting her into her heart made her feel so content suddenly.

Maybe it was the warmth of the bed.

Maybe it was the press of a soft body to hers.

Maybe it was the way Santana's thumb stroked over sensitive skin and felt so good.

"It means…I don't know, maybe I want to," Santana explained, feeling like her reply was rather lame.

Rachel shot a shy smile over her shoulder and opened her mouth to reply when her cell phone suddenly chirped from next to the bed. She reached out and grabbed it, sliding it open and groaned.

"What's up?" Santana wondered.

"Finn," Rachel sighed. "He's left me several voicemails and sent me quite a few text messages. He's out front."

"Out front of my house?" Santana wondered, suddenly growing a bit angry.

Rachel nodded and began tapping away on the tiny keypad on her phone. "I should go." Both girls noticed the tone of her voice in that moment and Santana smirked a little because she could tell that Rachel wanted to stay as badly as Santana wanted her to stay.

"You can stay, I'll drive you home later," Santana suggested.

Rachel sighed. "I wish I could. But he's mad."

"Rach, be careful, okay?" Santana said, suddenly growing a bit worried.

"With Finn?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "I'm not trying to talk shit about your boyfriend but lately he has gotten a bit more hands-on than he has ever been. He grabbed me kind of hard last night and if he lays a finger on you I might have to kill him."

"Did he hurt you?" Rachel asked suddenly, her attention shifting and the thought of leaving momentarily forgotten.

Santana shrugged a shoulder. "It's not a big deal."

"Let me see," Rachel coaxed quietly. She sat up in bed and faced the other girl.

Santana shook her head. "Rach, I'm fine."

"Let me see," Rachel ordered a bit more sternly.

Santana sat up in bed and stripped her long sleeved shirt off, leaving her in a tank top and Rachel gasped when she saw four bruises on the front of Santana's shoulder.

"I bruise easy, it's fine," Santana told her.

"This is not fine," Rachel said, a frown creasing her brow. She reached out and ran the pads of her fingers over the bruises softly.

"This also isn't really about me," Santana dismissed as she tugged her shirt back on. "I'm worried about you. He's pissed and he's huge."

"He would never hurt me," Rachel insisted as she slid out of bed. She winced as she got to her feet and her head thundered.

Santana crawled out of bed behind her and watched as she gathered her things. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay?"

Rachel blinked and stopped short at the look on the cheerleader's face. For the slightest moment it seemed like the real Santana was shining through, vulnerable and hopeful and it was actually kind of heartbreaking.

They both looked up at a horn honking from out front of the house. Rachel looked completely torn, her bottom lip sliding between her teeth. "I'm sorry."

Santana masked her hurt with the flash of a smile and she waved the other girl off. "No worries. I'll talk to you later."

Rachel gave her one last smile and approached her, placing a warm hand on Santana's cheek and leaning forward to press her lips to the cheerleader's other cheek. "Thank you for taking care of me last night."

"You're welcome." Santana reached a hand up to wrap gently around the diva's wrist and she turned her head enough to drop a quick kiss to the soft skin there.

"And for maybe wanting to try to let me in," Rachel added with a smile of her own. "It means a lot to me."

Santana's gaze fell to the floor as she shrugged bashfully. "It might take a while, but I think I'll get there."

"Me too," Rachel agreed. She met dark eyes in front of her and she found herself completely captivated by the vulnerability rolling off the other girl in waves.

It was so unusual.

So unnerving.

And actually really very sweet.

The spell between them was broken after a particularly long honk of the horn on Finn's car. Rachel rolled her eyes and headed for the door with a final wave.

Santana followed her to the door to lock it behind the diva and she was sure to give Finn a single-finger salute as he drove off, smirking at the glare he shot her way as he went.

She was completely certain as she leaned heavily against the door that she was seriously falling for Rachel Berry and the thought alone was enough to freak her out a little bit. But she found once she got past the initial freak out phase she was actually rather comfortable with the thought.

And that was perhaps the most surprising part.

**XX**

A.N. Thanks so much for sticking with this one, guys! I made this chapter a bit longer than usual, mostly because I know that my schedule is going to be hell this week with work and the holidays so I might now get a chance to update for a while. Sorry! Like I said, hopefully the chapter itself and the length kind of help make up for it. Happy Holidays to all of you if I don't get a chance to wish it again! And thank you so much for the love you guys have sent my way!


	18. Chapter 18

A.N. Hey guys! Thanks to all of you that reviewed the last chapter and the story as a whole! I hope everyone's holiday was awesome…mine totally was. Work has been insane but I wanted to drop you guys a little gift to let you know I was thinking of you.

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Hey," Quinn greeted with a warm smile as she leaned next to the locker next to Rachel's on Monday morning.

Rachel returned the smile with a sad one of her own. "Hi."

Quinn frowned when she studied her for a moment. "Rach, what's wrong?"

Rachel shook her head, her lips pressed together in a thin line as she exchanged her books for her first class. "Finn and I broke up yesterday."

On the inside, Quinn was jumping for joy. Mostly anyways. At least that meant he was out of the way. But her heart was aching for Rachel because in that moment she looked kind of crushed. "What happened?"

"He was mad about the party and it made me realize that Finn only seems to like me when I'm the loser version of myself. I think he feels like I need him more that way or something. It just seems like any time I try to switch it up and embrace who I could be he freaks out." She sighed and leaned against her locker sideways so she could face Quinn, her head resting against the metal surface.

"Like the Britney Spears thing?" Quinn wondered.

"Exactly," Rachel replied with a nod. "Plus he hurt Santana."

Quinn suddenly felt two waves of emotion crash over her. The first was jealousy. She hated that even with Finn out of the picture she still had to compete with someone for Rachel's attention and affection. Her second emotion? Fury. The thought that Finn Hudson, huge football player, laid a finger on her best friend nearly sent her on a rampage. "What do you mean he hurt her?"

"She has a few small bruises on her shoulder," Rachel explained hesitantly. She'd seen that look in the cheerleader's eyes before and knew when you saw that look to duck and cover. "He kind of grabbed her."

"Well, now I don't have to feel bad about killing him," Quinn mumbled quietly, almost like she was talking to herself.

"Quinn," Rachel said, trying to snap the blonde out of whatever she was planning in her head.

Quinn shook her head and sighed, setting her plotting aside for the time being. She knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "Rach, I'll be honest with you. I'm sorry that the two of you are over because it's obviously breaking your heart a little right now and that breaks my heart a little. But to be honest? You deserve so much better than him."

Rachel smiled a little at that. "Part of me wonders if I'll ever find love."

"Something tells me you'll do just fine in that department," Quinn replied with a smirk. She suddenly thought of something. "Hey, why don't we do a girl's night on Friday after the game? It'll cheer you up."

"Really?" Rachel asked hopefully. She'd always heard of girl's nights and had never been to one.

Quinn nodded, a grin quirking her lips. "We'll have it at Santana's. Her dad is never home. We'll watch movies and hang out and eat way too much."

Rachel smiled genuinely for the first time and she nodded. "That sounds like fun. Thanks, Quinn."

"Sure," she replied. "I'll work out the details so all you have to do is show up."

Rachel smiled gratefully at her, emotion suddenly choking her. "It's nice to have a friend to lean on in situations like this. It means a lot to me."

Quinn reached out and pulled Rachel into her arms in a warm hug. "I'm here if you need anything, Rach. You know that right?"

Rachel nodded into her shoulder and sort of melted into the embrace. Quinn gave the absolute best hugs Rachel had ever received.

"Can I walk you to class?" Quinn asked with a smile as she pulled back.

Rachel nodded and closed her locker. The pair made their way to Rachel's first period class and even from outside the classroom, Quinn saw something that made her eyes narrow.

A bouquet of flowers sitting on Rachel's desk in the classroom.

Quinn knew it had either been Finn or Santana to leave the flowers. Unless someone new had entered the race for Rachel's affections. She prayed that wasn't the case. She had enough competition as it was.

"I think someone left you something," Quinn pointed out, her head nodding subtly in the direction of the room.

Rachel glanced in the room and a small gasp escaped her lips. She made her way to her desk and grabbed the flowers and lifted them to her nose, breathing them in deeply, her eyes closing.

"Who are they from?" Quinn asked, unable to wait any longer.

Rachel plucked the card from the flowers and slipped it open, a smile sliding onto her lips making Quinn squirm a little. "Santana. She heard about Finn and wanted to make me smile. She's so sweet."

"That is really sweet," Quinn ground out through clenched teeth, a forced smile on her lips. She cursed herself for not thinking about that herself.

"Quinn, are you alright?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded tightly. "I'm okay if you're okay."

Rachel shrugged a shoulder and took a seat at her desk. "I'll be okay."

"I better get to class," Quinn told her, jutting a thumb over her shoulder. "Call me or send me a text if you need anything today, okay?"

Rachel smiled. "Thank you."

Quinn winked at her and headed off to her class.

Rachel buried her nose in the bouquet of flowers, breathing in deeply as she re-read the tiny note attached to them.

_Rach-_

_I heard about you and Finn and I wanted to try to make your day just a little brighter. I hope these will make you smile._

_Xo,_

_Santana_

"Hey, pretty girl," a voice greeted from the doorway a minute later, causing Rachel to look up and find Santana peeking her head in the door, a sly grin on her face that caused a swell of anticipation within the diva.

"Hi," Rachel greeted with a smile. She tried desperately to make it reach her eyes, but she knew it fell flat. "Thank you so much for the flowers. It was really sweet of you."

"You're welcome," Santana replied. She strode into the room and crouched down next to Rachel in her desk, her arms folded over the desktop, her chin resting on her arms. "How are you holding up?"

Rachel's head dropped and her shoulders slumped a little. "I think it's for the best."

"Not really what I asked, baby girl," Santana pointed out gently.

"I'm sad," Rachel amended. "But I think I'll be okay."

"You will be," Santana assured her, reaching a hand out and placing it on the diva's arm, squeezing gently. "And you know I'm here if you need anything."

"That helps more than you know," Rachel told her honestly. It was her first real break up and she was grateful that she didn't have to go through it alone.

"So listen…" Santana started hesitantly. "I need to apologize," she admitted softly. Her brow tightened in a frown and her bottom lip slid between her teeth for a moment.

Rachel matched her frown. She tried to think of anything that Santana could possibly think she needed to apologize for (since they'd become friends, that is) but she came up empty. "For what?"

Santana allowed her fingers to play over Rachel's forearm, unaware of the effect it had on the other girl. "I promised you on Friday night that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and you got so sick. I hate not being able to keep promises."

Rachel sensed that there was something deeper fueling the other girl's guilt and she dropped a hand over Santana's, waiting for dark eyes to meet hers. "Santana you didn't pressure me to drink, I did that on my own accord. It was my decision to drink more than I should have and you and Quinn took excellent care of me that night and the next day. Don't feel like you did anything wrong." She waited until dark eyes met hers. "And please don't apologize."

Santana looked unsure, her lip being worried between two rows of perfect teeth again.

Rachel set a determined expression on her face. "Santana, stop. Please."

Santana searched the other brunette's eyes for a moment and finally nodded reluctantly. She sighed, shaking her head suddenly. "I'm sorry, I came to see if you were alright and ended up making this about me. Sorry, Rach, I'm failing miserably here."

"You're not," Rachel assured her with a fond smile. "I promise. Besides, worrying about you is keeping my mind off of everything with Finn."

Santana felt an ache in her chest when she realized that Rachel really was concerned for her wellbeing and it brought tears to her eyes. She was _not_ used to being cared for and it felt better than she cared to admit.

Rachel suddenly looked panicked and reached over to gather the other girl into her arms. "Hey, what is this about?"

Santana shook her head, melting into the embrace and sniffling her tears back. "It's nothing."

"Somehow I doubt that," Rachel told her softly. She pulled back and searched dark eyes for a moment. "You can tell me anything you want, you know."

Santana smiled a little at that and nodded, pulling herself together instantly. "I may not today or tomorrow or even next week…but eventually…"

Rachel smiled, knowing somehow that there were layers of Santana Lopez that hadn't been peeled back yet, but once they were she was a really amazing person and Rachel found she really wanted to get to know her better. "I'm glad."

Santana paused for a moment. "So, I really hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries by asking you this, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out Friday night. With me."

Rachel beamed for an instant before her face fell. "I'd love to, but Quinn already suggested a girls' night Friday night." She shrugged. "To cheer me up."

"Okay," Santana agreed easily. "Friday night at my place and then maybe Saturday night you'll let me take you to dinner?"

Rachel laughed as a rather absurd thought danced fleetingly through her head.

"What are you laughing at?" Santana questioned, a fond smile playing on her lips.

"It almost sounded like you were asking me out," Rachel replied dismissively.

"And if I was?" Santana wondered, her grin widening.

Rather than answer that question, Rachel answered the first. "I'd love to go to dinner with you on Saturday night."

"Is Breadsticks okay?" Santana asked, a hopeful glint in her eye.

"Of course," Rachel replied with a grin, knowing how much the other girl loved that particular restaurant.

"Excellent," Santana replied with a smile. "I'll take care of everything." She stood up, dropping a kiss to Rachel's forehead as she stood. "Let me know if you need anything at all, okay?"

"Thanks, Santana," Rachel said softly.

Santana winked and strode from the room, her hips swaying, knowing that the diva's eyes would follow the movement because she knew that guy or girl, gay or straight _everyone_ watched the movement of her hips when she walked away. She turned at the door and smirked when she noticed Rachel's eyes on her hips, knowing she had another point in her column.

**XX**

A.N. I know, I know…more Pezberry. I promise you some Faberry soon to all you Q/R shippers out there! I hope you enjoyed my little update. Hopefully the fact that Finn and Rachel are over will tide you over until I can get the next part up. Thanks for reading and I hope you can review!


	19. Chapter 19

A.N. Hey guys! I hope the holidays were fantastic to all of you! I wanted to get this one up before the new year, but too much got in the way. Hope you don't mind. : )

Anyways, this one has some Faberry in it as promised and a bit more of Santana…yes, I realize I'm kind of obsessed…

Enjoy!

p.s. Thank you all for the reviews, you guys are awesome!

**XX**

"Please tell me you haven't been brainwashing Rachel into dumping Finn so you can have him back."

Quinn recognized the voice and turned to face Kurt. She sighed, her expression bored. She was already tired of this conversation. "What?"

"Rachel and Finn broke up," Kurt explained.

"I know," Quinn replied, her head tilting to the side and eyes narrowing.

"Are you trying to win him back?" he asked. "Is that why you and Santana befriended her? So you could break them up?"

"Is that really what you think?" she asked.

"I don't know what to think," he explained softly, taking a step towards her. "One minute you can't stand her and the next you're best friends. It's a little strange."

Quinn's eyes closed and she pinched the bridge of her nose. She sighed and set her eyes on him again. "Look, Kurt, I appreciate the curiosity, though I can't say I understand where it's coming from. You can't stand Rachel. So until you decide to get over petty jealousy, like I have, and give her a chance leave me the hell alone about it because you don't know her at all." She turned on her heel and began to stalk away.

"And you do?" he asked, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Maybe not yet," she replied softly. "But I really want to." She realized she was putting too much of herself out there and clamped her mouth shut, spinning around and continuing on her search for the tiny diva.

Twenty minutes later she was growing more frustrated. She'd searched just about all the places she thought she would find Rachel only to come up empty. She peeked her head into the empty auditorium, expecting Rachel to have the band backing her as she sang to no one, like she had a tendency to do.

But she wasn't there.

She sighed, knowing this place had been the last on her list of places to find the diva and she walked down the isle slowly towards the stage.

"Quinn?"

The cheerleader jumped at the voice, her hand flying to her chest. Her eyes fell to Rachel who was sitting on the floor, hidden behind the divider.

"Rachel, you scared me." Quinn took in several deep breaths to steady her breathing.

"I'm sorry." Rachel gazed up at her for a moment and her lips quirked at the corners making Quinn's eyes narrow playfully.

"What?" the blonde wondered.

Rachel shrugged a shoulder. "You're always so together. It's a rare sight to see you unglued."

"I'm not unglued, you scared the hell out of me," Quinn corrected quickly.

Rachel didn't argue. She just nodded her head once and let her gaze fall to her hands that were folded in her lap.

Quinn moved towards her and took a seat on one side of her. She leaned over enough to bump their shoulders slightly. "How are you doing?"

Rachel allowed one slim shoulder to rise in a shrug. "Part of me feels terrible because I think I really hurt him. And I wanted him for so long but then didn't put up a fight to keep him."

When Rachel didn't continue Quinn urged her on. "And the other part?"

Rachel met her eyes suddenly. They were wide and excited and there was a quiet fire burning behind them that sent a wave of excitement tearing through Quinn. "The other part of me seems to have fallen for someone else. I can't seem to help the excitement whenever I see this person or they touch me."

"Who is it?" The words were out of Quinn's mouth before she could stop herself and she had to smirk as the diva's cheeks suddenly rushed with a bright blush.

Rachel shook her head, her gaze dropping to her hands again. "Someone who could never really love me back." Her lips settled slowly into a bit of a frown and her breath hitched.

In that moment Quinn was overcome with a desire to do something, say something…anything to make Rachel feel better. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Quinn's lips were suddenly _thisclose_ to her ear.

Her breath was warm as it rushed over Rachel's flushed skin.

Rachel gulped and nodded. "S-sure."

Quinn smirked knowing Rachel was flustered. "I can't stop thinking about kissing you at the party."

Rachel turned her head just enough that their faces were inches apart. She made no move to back away as she searched warm hazel eyes slowly. Carefully. "Why?" She winced at the question.

They were still so close.

Sharing the same air.

And neither of them really seemed to mind.

Quinn smiled. Her hand rose on its own accord and it tucked a small strand of hair behind Rachel's ear slowly. "Maybe because I want to do it again."

"Really?" Rachel's eyes were still searching hers. Like she was waiting for the trick slushie or the gang of jocks and cheerleaders waiting to pop out and humiliate her for thinking that Head Cheerio Quinn Fabray wanted to kiss her.

Quinn nodded, Rachel's favorite half-smile finally making an appearance. "Really."

Rachel blinked rapidly, her cheeks flushing again and she gave just the slightest nod of her head, feeling her heart leap in her chest when Quinn's smile blew wide open.

Quinn's hand was suddenly tangling in dark locks, silky strands sliding through her fingers. She watched Rachel lick her lips and she leaned in just a little closer.

"What are you two doing here?" a male voice suddenly called out from their left, causing both girls to jump. They looked up and found Mr. Schue headed their way up one of the rows.

"It's really rude to scare the hell out of people you know," Quinn grumbled to herself, smiling when Rachel giggled. She stood up and faced their teacher. "We were just working some things out."

He glanced at Rachel, a concerned frown etching his features. "Rachel?"

She glanced up at him, mild annoyance now shining in her eyes. "We're fine, Mr. Schue."

Quinn jumped up and turned to pull Rachel to her feet. "Come on, Rach." She glanced at him again with a tight smile. "Later, Mr. Schue."

"See you in glee," Rachel called as the blonde pulled her away from their teacher.

"I think we still have a few minutes before the bell rin-" Quinn was cut off by the bell itself and her face shifted into a dark glare. "Or not."

Rachel actually smiled at that and she gave Quinn's hand a squeeze. "Another time."

Quinn's face instantly switched again into a bright smile. "Really?"

Rachel felt her heart flutter a bit and she nodded. "Definitely."

"See you in glee." Quinn squeezed her hand and that half-smile made one more appearance before she headed off down the hall leaving Rachel grinning after her.

**XX**

"I think I'm winning," Santana sighed happily a few days later. She and Quinn were lying across her bed flipping through magazines.

"Like hell you are," Quinn argued with a laugh. "I'm still ahead."

"The flowers helped," Santana pointed out. "And the body shot the other night? Hot."

Quinn leaned her face in close to Santana's. "I slept in her bed."

"And she slept in mine," Santana reminded her with a smirk.

"So did I," Quinn said. "So it doesn't count."

"Does too," Santana argued with a scowl.

"Okay, but I got to kiss her," Quinn reminded her with a wide smirk. "So I'm still ahead."

Santana matched her smirk suddenly. "You're so easy, Fabray."

"Why are you smiling?" Quinn asked, hating how the look on her friend's face suddenly made her just a tiny bit uneasy.

Like the joke was on her and she had yet to figure out the punch line.

"Because you kissed Rachel on a dare," Santana told her, poking a finger into the blonde's arm. "When I kiss her for the first time she'll know it's because I wanted to, not because I was dared to."

"Do you want to kiss her?" Quinn asked suddenly. She made a hasty decision to keep the fact that she and Rachel almost kissed again to herself. She sensed the competition could go to another level at any moment and she really needed to start looking out for herself if she was going to win.

"Hell yeah," Santana replied with a nod. "Did you see the way she looked the other night? Damn."

Quinn studied her friend for a moment before dropping it. "Is it just me or is it easier to be nice to her than you thought?"

"What do you mean?" Santana wondered idly as she flipped a page.

Quinn smiled to herself. "I didn't think I'd last two days."

"Then why take the bet?" Santana asked with a laugh. She stared at Quinn like the blonde was a bit crazy.

"Blind need to beat you at something?" Quinn joked. She shrugged. "By the way, can we do a girl's night this weekend at your place? I thought it would cheer Rachel up."

Santana grinned. "Yeah she told me about that. It should be fine. Dad's in California for two weeks so we're good."

Quinn frowned. "Do you want to stay with me while he's gone? At least that way neither of us will be alone."

"Maybe a few nights I will," Santana replied with a nod. "Oh and by the way? I'm taking Rachel to dinner Saturday night."

Quinn's eyes narrowed suddenly. "I changed my mind, I'm rescinding my invitation."

"Ouch, Q, low blow," Santana replied. She knew her friend was kidding but couldn't help the flash of hurt in her eyes.

Quinn saw it. She immediately back-pedaled, her eyes getting wide. "San, I'm totally kidding. You know you're always welcome."

Santana brushed it off with a wave of her hand. "Chill, Fabray, it's cool."

"Seriously," Quinn insisted. "I didn't mean it."

"Just drop it," Santana grumbled.

"San," Quinn mumbled, hating how the mood had completely changed in two seconds.

Santana rolled off the bed. "Will you please drop it?" She headed for the door. "I need some air."

Quinn huffed a frustrated sigh and she rolled over so she could sit up on the bed. She had been friends with Santana long enough to know that even though she would never admit it the brunette was absolutely heartbroken about being practically abandoned by her parents and she knew that the other girl was desperate to pull someone close to her but her mangled heart rarely allowed her to keep anyone close enough to truly love her before sheer panic took over and she pushed them away again.

She and Brittany had been the two people closest to Santana since they were little and she knew that had they not wormed their way into her heart before her parents damaged it that they probably would have been shut out like the rest of the world.

The best part about the bet that she and Santana had going on was that Rachel was the type of girl that would demand to be a part of whomever's heart she possessed so if the other girl wanted to win the bet, she would inevitably force her to let Rachel in.

Quinn sighed again and rolled off the bed, making her way down the staircase and out towards the screened-in back deck, where she knew Santana would be.

Her nose crinkled as she picked up the scent of cigarette smoke. She hated her friend's habit and knew she only resorted to it when things were bad. She moved further into the room and sat down in the chair across the table from Santana.

"Santana you know I was kidding," Quinn said softly.

"I know," Santana agreed with a sigh. She snubbed what was left of her cigarette, knowing her friend hated it. She shook her head. "This whole thing with Rachel has been totally fucking with my head."

"What do you mean?" Quinn wondered.

"You know how hard it is for me to let someone in," Santana told her softly. "I'm trying so hard but it seems like it goes against everything natural to me. Like every fiber of my being is screaming at me to run away."

"That would make my life easier," Quinn joked with a shrug.

"Exactly why I haven't run yet." Santana allowed a grin to quirk her lips.

Quinn grinned suddenly, knowing the two of them were okay again. "You know I love you no matter what, right?"

Santana's brow scrunched into a frown suddenly. "Yeah."

Quinn shrugged at the puzzled expression on her friend's face. "You're my best friend and I don't tell you I love you enough."

"You're killing me with this shit, Q," Santana said, her voice suddenly thick with emotion.

Quinn smiled wider and pulled stood up, wrapping her arms around Santana from behind. She knew that was Santana's way of saying she loved her too. She pressed a kiss to the side of the brunette's head. "Just remember that no matter how this whole thing turns out, I'm always here."

Santana opened her mouth to blow her off or make a dumb joke but all that came out was, "I love you, too, Quinn."

Quinn grinned. "Don't think I'm going easy on you though."

"Oh hell no," Santana replied with a shake of her head. "It's on."

And Quinn knew. It was definitely on.

**XX**

A.N. Thanks for reading! I have some more with the rest of the glee club coming up…and Finn isn't exactly giving up on Rachel without a fight, I'll just put it that way. Hahaha…

Anyways, again, thanks all of you for reading and reviewing. More to come soon!


	20. Chapter 20

**A.N. Hey guys! Sorry it took soooo long for me to post. Things have been insane lately! I wanted to get this little part up for the weekend. I hope the next part won't be too far behind it.**

**Thank you to all that have reviewed. You guys are awesome!**

**Enjoy!**

**XX**

"Quinn?"

The blonde cheerleader looked up and met Rachel's eyes across the library table. She and Rachel were doing homework until Quinn had to go to Cheerios practice and Rachel had to go to a vocal lesson.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel said softly. They were completely alone in the room, but the diva still felt compelled to whisper.

"Sure," Quinn replied, an amused grin quirking her lips. Her cell phone suddenly buzzed on the table and she glanced at it, hitting a button to make it stop, rolling her eyes at the caller ID.

Rachel's eyes flickered to the phone for a moment before she set her gaze on the cheerleader again. "Do you ever get tired of wearing your uniform to school?"

Quinn giggled. "That was your question?"

Rachel shrugged, a teasing grin stretched across her features, the tip of her tongue peeking out between her teeth. "I would get tired of wearing the same thing every day."

Quinn shrugged. "After last year I really like having it to wear. Even if it is every day."

Rachel nodded. "That makes sense." Her eyes landed on Quinn's cell phone again when it buzzed roughly against the table.

Quinn snatched it up again and pressed a button to make it stop again, huffing a frustrated sigh as she did.

"Is everything alright?"

Quinn's eyes rose to find Rachel staring at her phone. "It's my father." Rachel's eyes suddenly snapped up to hers. "He doesn't want us being friends. I told him to go to hell."

"Why?" Rachel stammered, her heart thudding in her chest suddenly.

"Because he's a bastard and hell seemed suiting," Quinn answered, knowing full well that wasn't the question Rachel was looking for an answer for.

"No," Rachel said with a shake of her head, her eyes wounded and voice soft. "Why doesn't he want us being friends? How does he even know who I am?"

"Rach," Quinn coaxed gently, reaching across the table to grasp the diva's hands in hers. She waited until dark eyes met hers and her heart wrenched painfully at the hurt that was so evident in the brunette's eyes. "What I'm about to tell you is courtesy of a man who kicked me out because I was pregnant. He's a drunk and a control-freak and a bastard. His thoughts express absolutely no opinion of mine. Please understand that."

"It's because of my dads, right?" Rachel guessed quietly.

"I'm sorry," Quinn breathed. She stood up from her seat and moved to the seat next to Rachel, wrapping an arm around her and pressing her lips to the diva's cheek. "I love being friends with you. And nothing he does or says is going to make me stop."

Rachel suddenly set teary eyes on her. "Promise?"

The corners of Quinn's lips quirked up at that and she nodded, pulling Rachel into a tight hug. "I promise. You're stuck with me now."

"You make it sound like a hardship," Rachel whispered.

Quinn rolled her eyes dramatically. "I know what a diva I can be…oh wait, that's you we're talking about."

Rachel pretended to look offended. "I am no such thing."

Quinn smiled fondly. "Keep telling yourself that."

Rachel's phone suddenly chirped to life and she sighed when she saw the text message from Finn. "He's nothing if persistent."

"Finn?" Quinn guessed.

Rachel nodded and began tapping on the keys to her phone furiously, growing more annoyed the longer her message got.

Quinn watched her. It was strange that every time she even looked at the girl seated across from her these days she would feel a warmth spread from her chest out to every other part of her body. She found the smallest things endearing about Rachel and she was starting to wonder if her feelings for the other girl were genuinely starting to change.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rachel asked, effectively breaking the blonde out of her thoughts.

Quinn shook her head, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I know we have a rocky history and you know how sorry I am about everything I ever did. I'm just really glad that we're friends."

Rachel suddenly grinned that thousand-watt smile of hers and it set Quinn's insides ablaze. "I am too."

And Quinn knew in that moment that she was falling for Rachel Berry.

**XX**

"I'm not giving up on her."

Santana glanced up from applying lip gloss at her locker to find Finn leaning against the locker next to hers. She had been happily planning out her date for the next night with Rachel when he had interrupted and it turned her mood sour in an instant. "Thanks for sharing."

"Why do you have to get in between us anyways?" Finn asked, his eyes narrowed. "It seems like you've done nothing but try to break us up."

"Am I being punked?" Santana asked, glancing around them before setting her gaze on Finn again. "My friendship with Rachel has nothing at all to do with you. Or the relationship you two had. We're friends." She smirked. "For now."

"Stay away from her," Finn ordered, misunderstanding her meaning. "You're no good for her."

"If I'm not mistaken it's because of you that she's miserable," Santana pointed out. "You were a terrible boyfriend. You were jealous and possessive and everything was on your terms."

"I made her happy," he defended.

Santana laughed. It was a humorless laugh that made Finn uncomfortable and he suddenly felt like he was nearing the point of no return in this particular conversation and he wasn't sure he could handle the consequences of having it.

She set dark, piercing eyes on him, smiling when he gulped. "I can't help that your ex wanted to spend more time with me than she did with you. I thought losing the V card would somehow give you some kind of sex appeal, but apparently I was wrong. Don't blame me if you can't keep a girl."

He slammed his hand into the locker next to her, causing her to jump. He leaned in close to her. "You're not fooling anyone. You may think you are because Rachel is too naïve to see what's really going on right in front of her. But she'll see it sooner or later."

She smirked. "That's a really nice story, Finnocence. Bonus points for big words."

"Don't call me that!" he bellowed, his voice ringing down the hall. He glanced around them and straightened up, his jaw clenched. He suddenly smirked. "I've been keeping the fact that you and I slept together a secret because I knew it would hurt Rachel. But part of me wonders how she would react now if she knew her new friend slept with her ex."

"You're bluffing." Santana had long ago perfected her apathetic face and it came in handy in that moment. She had feared Rachel finding out about the one time between her and Finn, knowing the diva would probably hate her for it. Finn had her by the balls and he knew it. She smirked. "Divulging that particular piece of information wouldn't really be beneficial to you if you're even dreaming about trying to get back together with her."

"We'll see about that," he said with a cocky smile that made her want to slap him. He turned and headed down the hallway.

She watched as he rounded the corner before she spun on her heel and took off in the other direction. She hurried to her car, intent on telling Rachel everything before Finn got the chance to.

She knew that Rachel appreciated honesty above most everything else so she was hoping that admitting the one time with Finn would save her from future issues.

**XX**

Santana cursed when she pulled up in front of Rachel's house and one of her dads was home. She'd never met either of Rachel's fathers and was kind of annoyed that the one day she really needed to speak to Rachel she had to deal with being charming for the parents of the girl she'd tormented for years so they wouldn't throw her out on the street on her ass for behaving like such a total bitch.

She rushed up the walk, half expecting Finn to have followed her to the diva's house to tell on her. She hoped she could at least catch a break and Rachel answer the door but apparently the fates were raining karma down on her because a short man answered the door looking confused immediately.

"Hello," he greeted.

She smiled. "Hi, Mr. Berry. I'm looking for Rachel. I'm Santana Lopez, a friend of hers from school."

His eyes darkened with recognition instantly and his jaw set. "A friend?" He scoffed. "I'm shocked you can say that with a straight face."

She nodded, swallowing hard, shifting uncomfortably. "It's a new friendship."

"Is it now?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Santana wasn't exactly sure what to say. She opened her mouth but found herself cut off when Rachel appeared behind her father.

"Daddy, who is it?"

He pulled the door open and Rachel brightened instantly when she caught sight of the cheerleader. "Hi, Santana."

Santana smiled fondly. "Hey, Rach."

"Rachel?" Her dad pinned her with questioning eyes.

Rachel shook her head and pulled the cheerleader through the door and towards the stairs. "We'll be upstairs, Daddy."

Santana breathed a sigh of relief when she was pulled into the diva's bedroom and the door shut behind her. "I think it's safe to say your dad hates me."

"Daddy doesn't hate anyone," Rachel corrected her with a smile. "He's just protective."

Santana's heart was suddenly beating wildly in her chest. Her mouth was dry and her palms were damp. A hand on her arm caused her to jerk.

"Sorry," Rachel said softly. "Are you alright?"

Santana shook her head, swallowing hard. "I need to tell you something."

Rachel nodded. "Okay."

Santana opened her mouth, but before a word could be spoken, Rachel's cell phone buzzed to life.

The diva shot her an apologetic look and glanced at the caller ID. She rolled her eyes. "It's Finn."

"Please let me finish before you talk to him," Santana begged.

Rachel's brow tightened into a confused frown. She had never heard Santana beg for anything before. Whatever was about to come out of her mouth must have been important so she set her phone to silent and put it aside, her full attention back on the cheerleader.

"I slept with Finn last year," Santana admitted softly, getting right to the point. She closed her eyes against the wrath that was sure to come, but instead all she heard was a quiet gasp. "I'm sorry."

Rachel sat staring at her. She had no idea what to think. She was furious that Finn had lied to her. "Why?"

Santana licked her lips nervously. "Coach was on that Madonna kick and wanted all of us dating younger men. I knew Finn hated me but I thought if I took his virginity he'd date me so Coach wouldn't kick me off the squad."

"You did it for Sue Sylvester?" Rachel questioned softly.

Santana felt her stomach wrench when she caught sight of the quiet storm playing behind dark chocolate eyes. She was praying that she wasn't tearing their friendship apart piece by piece. "Rachel, I'm sorry. You were dating Jesse, I was alone, he was alone. You and I weren't even friends."

Rachel looked like she was on the verge of tears and she shook her head. "Santana, can you leave please?"

"Please let me explain," Santana begged.

"How can you explain this?" Rachel demanded.

Santana blinked, she'd never seen Rachel like this before. "Rachel, he…I." She was at a complete loss for words. How could she explain? She had done a terrible thing to a good person. That was all the explaining Santana needed.

"Rach…"

"Please?" Rachel asked. Only one single tear had escaped her eyes and the rest were threatening. She felt like a fool and wanted to preserve as much of her dignity as she could.

Santana nodded and headed for the door. She paused halfway out the door and met Rachel's eyes again. "For what it's worth, Rach, you mean a lot to me and I didn't do any of this to hurt you. It was long before I knew…how much I liked you." Without a glance back, Santana left the room, closing the door with a light 'click'.

**XX**

**A.N. I know, I know…still heavy on Pezberry and light on Faberry. But I assure you the scales are going to tip the other way for a bit…especially with this latest development. I'm working on a Faberry part as we speak actually so I promise the next chapter will be heavy on it! Plus some more S/Q friendship stuff.**

**Thanks for reading, please leave your thoughts!**

**p.s. can anyone else sense a big showdown with Russell Fabray on the horizon? Hmm...maybe it's just me...**


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N. **Hey guys! Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter and the story as a whole. They mean so much! Here's the next installment of this story. I'm also working on something a little different that I might post if I get the first few chapters sounding right so if you see something new from me, check it out because it's glee related and I think you guys might like it…

Enjoy!

**XX**

Quinn was relieved later that night when the tall Mr. Berry answered the door. He didn't seem to hate her as much as the short Mr. Berry did. Plus she was exhausted and really didn't have the energy to try to charm him. "Hi, Mr. B."

Leroy's lips quirked a little at the nickname. "Hi, Quinn. Come on in."

"She sounded terrible on the phone," Quinn noted softly, a frown creasing her brow. "Is she alright?"

"All I've been able to gather is that Santana Lopez came by earlier and Rachel was a mess once she left," Leroy admitted with a frown.

"Santana was here?" Quinn repeated. "She made Rachel cry?" Quinn swallowed a surge of panic when she realized Santana might have told Rachel about the bet.

Leroy shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said, she was a mess. I'm surprised I was able to get that much out of her."

Quinn frowned for a second trying to work it out in her head. She smiled up at Leroy and patted his arm. "I'll talk to her."

Leroy smiled. "Thanks, Quinn. You're a good friend."

Quinn was absolutely beaming at this point and she headed up the stairs where she could hear 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' playing on the CD player. She rolled her eyes, a fond smile on her lips at the diva's predictability and she knocked lightly on the door.

"I told you, I'm fine," Rachel called through the door over the music.

"It's me," the blonde called back.

The music suddenly snapped off and the door was flung open, Rachel falling into Quinn's arms, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

Quinn held her tightly, the sobs coming from the diva wracking them both. "Rach, what's going on, sweetie?"

Rachel pulled away enough to pull her into the bedroom where they took a seat on the bed. The brunette blew her nose and wiped her eyes to look at least somewhat presentable. "Santana…and Finn." Her chin quivered and her face scrunched up as tears threatened to fall again.

"She told you?" Quinn asked, shocked her friend would admit something like that. It explained the tears though. She was completely relived Rachel had no idea about the bet.

"You knew?" Rachel squealed, scaring them both.

Quinn's eyes got wide. "I think Brittany told me."

"How could you not tell me?" Rachel said softly. "I feel like such an idiot."

Quinn pulled the smaller girl into her arms. "Breathe, sweetie."

Rachel struggled against her for a moment before melting into one of her favorite hugs.

"You were dating Jesse," Quinn started. "No one told you because no one wanted to hurt you. No one was trying to make you out to be a fool. I promise."

"He lied to me," Rachel whispered.

"He's a guy," Quinn reasoned, her hands rubbing comforting circles on the diva's back.

"She only told me because he threatened to," Rachel admitted.

Quinn pulled back a bit. "Did she tell you that?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. Finn did." She sighed, having finally calmed down. "I'm so mad at both of them."

"I understand," Quinn told her. She was completely torn. On one hand she wanted to put herself ahead of Santana in the bet but on the other she didn't want to betray their friendship.

"You probably think I'm being petty," Rachel said softly.

"I think you're hurt," Quinn told her. "And the fact that you and Santana have become friends only makes it hurt worse."

"You're right," Rachel realized. "You're completely right."

Something about the realization caused Quinn to frown. She wasn't sure what it was but she knew she had to act fast. "So I guess our girl's night is off."

"I don't want to be anywhere near her," Rachel said softly, her eyes welling with tears again.

"How about this," Quinn started. She waited for dark eyes to meet hers before she continued. "Why don't you come to my place tonight after the game and we'll hang out just the two of us?"

"Sure," Rachel answered, frowning a moment later when Quinn suddenly sniffled. That was when she noticed how unusually pale the blonde was. "Are you feeling okay?"

Quinn nodded immediately, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I'm just really tired."

Rachel reached out and placed her hand against her forehead and frowned. "I think you might have a fever."

"I'm fine, Rach," Quinn assured her quickly. "I don't really get sick. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Lie down and at least let me take your temperature," Rachel instructed gently.

"Rach," Quinn began to argue. She caught the look the brunette gave her and sighed, lying down on the bed reluctantly. She did not get sick.

Rachel disappeared into the bathroom for a moment before reappearing with a thermometer. She sat down on the bed next to Quinn and placed it in her mouth, waiting silently for it to beep. She pulled it from the blonde's lips and frowned.

"One hundred and one point two," Rachel announced. "Definitely a fever."

Quinn sighed, a pout making its way to her lips. "Does this mean you won't hang out with me tonight?"

Rachel smiled a little at the cuteness of the pout and shook her head. "I'd never abandon you when you're sick, Quinn."

"Really?" Quinn asked hopefully.

Rachel grinned and nodded. "Really. I'll take care of you, I promise."

Quinn reached out and grasped Rachel's hand, squeezing it gently. "Thanks, Rachel."

Rachel nodded and leaned over, pressing her lips gently to the side of Quinn's head. "Why don't you take a nap before you go to the game?"

Quinn nodded, snuggling into the pillows. "I do have some time."

Rachel smiled and watched Quinn fall asleep in a matter of seconds. It was obvious that she was exhausted and getting sick was only making it worse. She knew she had lots of preparations to take care of before Quinn returned home after the game so she decided to make a few lists while the other girl slept so she would be fully prepared.

**XX**

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Fabray," Santana called out from behind the blonde as the cheerleaders headed to the field that night.

Quinn smiled a little, knowing this was killing her friend. "I'm trying, but my loyalty to you seems to run pretty deep."

"Not sure where that suddenly came from," Santana replied with a smirk.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe ten years of friendship?" Quinn guessed, tapping her chin for good measure.

"How was she?" Santana wondered, suddenly growing serious. She eyed her friend for a moment. "How are you? You look terrible."

"Gee, thanks," Quinn replied. "I think I'm getting sick."

Santana took a step away from her with a playful smirk. "Keep it to yourself, Blondie."

"She's kind of a mess," Quinn replied, ignoring the dig with a long yawn. "And I probably shouldn't tell you this, but she seemed more hurt by you than him."

Santana pretended to inspect her immaculate nails to try to ignore how badly that statement hurt her. "Tonight's off then?"

Quinn nodded, swiping her forehead again. "She's coming to my place instead."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Like I said, enjoy it while it lasts."

"You sound jealous," Quinn noted with a smirk of her own. She had to admit that having one up on Santana did feel good.

"Only because I know there isn't anything extra you'll get nailed for down the line," Santana sighed. "Rachel knows all the terrible shit you've done."

"And aside from this, she knows all yours too," Quinn told her. "She'll forgive you, S, just give it a little time."

"Giving her time is giving you time," Santana reminded her with a frown. "You and your ninja charm don't need more time."

"Ninja charm?" Quinn repeated with a smirk.

"Yeah, you're all sneaky charming," Santana huffed. "It's gross. You're like the cute, yappy puppy at the pound who's best friends with the bull dog. Who do you think gets adopted first?"

"Now I'm yappy?" Quinn asked looking only mildly offended.

Santana shrugged, smirking just enough. "You know what I mean."

"People like bull dogs," Quinn reminded her. "Especially when the bull dog can be cute and cuddly when it's not on duty."

"Yeah, yeah," Santana dismissed with a wave of her hand. She began to jog as they neared the field. "Let's go, Blondie."

Quinn smiled and jogged to catch up to her friend.

**XX**

Quinn sighed in relief as she leaned her back against her front door a few hours later. She had to seriously resist the urge to slump to the floor and take a quick nap while she waited for Rachel to arrive. Despite how awful she felt she was still really looking forward to having the diva over and being able to spend some quality time with her, sick or not.

She pushed off the door and headed upstairs. She dropped her bag by the door and kicked off her shoes. She unzipped her uniform and tossed it haphazardly in the corner of the room before setting out to find her sweats. She didn't have the energy to even try to look hot for Rachel so she figured the diva would have to just take her or leave her.

She just hoped Rachel took her.

She changed into a comfy pair of sweats and a worn tee shirt that she was sure belonged to Brittany at some point and trudged downstairs for a drink. On her way the doorbell rang so she pulled it open on her way to the kitchen, smiling when she found Rachel on the other side, her arms loaded with items.

"Hi, Quinn," Rachel chirped. "How are you feeling?"

"Rachel what is all this?" Quinn wondered. Her chest felt tight and she coughed several times, not at all liking the way she was starting to sound.

Rachel made her way inside and dropped several items in the foyer, turning quickly to grab several more things from the porch. "I came prepared."

"For what?" Quinn wondered as she eyed the pile of items. "Are you teaching a nursing seminar later?"

Rachel shot her a playful glare and shook her head, closing the front door behind her. "No. Nothing like that. I just wanted to make sure I was able to adequately take care of you tonight."

"Rach, you don't have to take care of me," Quinn insisted softly. "I wanted you to come over to hang out, not nurse me back to health." Her tiredness got the better of her in that moment and she took a seat on the stairs as Rachel rifled through her things.

Rachel noticed and stood up, her things forgotten for the moment. She approached the blonde and held her hand out. "Come on, let's get you settled."

Quinn allowed Rachel to pull her to her feet and lead her into the living room. "When I was little and I would get sick, my dads would always let me sleep on the couch. They'd fluff it up with lots of blankets and pillows and they'd sit with me and we would watch musicals until I fell asleep. I don't know why, but it was always so comforting. I figured you might find some comfort in it as well."

"That sounds nice," Quinn admitted softly. She took a seat on the plush leather couch, snuggling into it immediately.

"Where do you keep extra blankets and pillows?" Rachel wondered, smiling at the blonde.

"Hall closet upstairs," Quinn replied, not even bothering trying to be a good hostess. She was well beyond it at that point. She brought a hand to her chest when she coughed several times again.

Rachel frowned at how terrible the blonde sounded but she set off to gather some things. She returned with several blankets and only had to displace the blonde twice before she got Quinn settled between several blankets. She made her way back upstairs and grabbed Quinn's pillow from her bed, knowing that had always made her feel better when she'd been sick.

"Thanks, Rach," Quinn said softly when the brunette returned. "Mmm, this is nice and cozy."

"Would you like me to put a movie on for you?" Rachel asked, sitting next to Quinn, running a hand through her hair gently.

Quinn's eyes closed, a content smile on her lips. "Breakfast Club?"

Rachel smiled fondly and let her hand rest on the blonde's cheek for a moment, frowning suddenly at the raging fever the blonde currently had. "Of course."

Rachel got the movie started and moved back to the foyer to gather some of her things.

Quinn could hear her moving around, her eyes closed but nowhere near sleep. She was achy and hungry and feeling miserable but she wasn't sure sleep was anywhere close.

"Here," Rachel's voice brought her back.

Quinn's eyes opened and focused on the brunette crouched down before her. She held her hand out with two pills and her other had a glass of orange juice.

"Take these," Rachel instructed gently.

Quinn sat up enough to take the meds and realized how thirsty she was when she finished the entire glass of juice. "Thanks."

"I'll get you some more," Rachel told her with a fond smile.

Quinn nodded, a grateful, tired smile on her lips. Her eyes closed again, smiling when Rachel started humming softly as she did whatever it was that she was doing.

The smell of something amazing caused her eyes to open again and Rachel had a small tray in her hands and was standing next to her again. "I made you homemade chicken noodle soup at home and brought it over. Can you sit up?"

Quinn nodded, pulling herself into a seated position. Rachel set the tray down on her lap and she nearly began to drool. "Thank you."

"I also have some vapor rub and a humidifier that should help you feel better." She watched the blonde for a few moments before heading for the kitchen again.

It didn't take long for Quinn to finish her soup and she set the tray down on the floor next to her and snuggled back into her makeshift bed. As terrible as she was feeling, she was warmed to the core knowing Rachel was there to take care of her.

Rachel returned with a soda and a bowl of popcorn. She placed them both on the end table nearest Quinn's head and took the tray back to the kitchen. When she returned she managed to squeeze herself in under the pillow beneath Quinn's head so the cheerleader's head was resting in her lap.

Quinn sighed happily a moment later when fingers began to work gently through her hair. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt this good feeling horrible before. She did know that she wanted Rachel around in the future whenever she got sick. She wasn't exactly used to having someone take care of her like this and it felt really nice.

"I love this movie," Rachel admitted quietly after several quiet minutes.

Quinn smiled. "Me too."

"I always sort of had this fantasy that I would get locked up somewhere with Finn and you and Kurt and Noah and it would be like this movie," Rachel told her.

Quinn laughed. "I can't imagine that would be much fun. Especially now."

"I know," Rachel replied with a shrug. "It was a long time ago."

"When you were lusting for him?" Quinn wondered.

"I guess I always thought that if maybe I could spend some time with any of you I could prove that I'm not all ambition and bad taste." Rachel sighed.

Quinn frowned and she rolled over enough that she could look up at the other girl. "Part of me wonders if that's the front you put up to push people away."

"It's just insecurity," Rachel agreed.

"I get it," Quinn told her. "I put up the bitch façade to keep people at arms length because I'm afraid if they see the real me they'll reject me. I'd rather not give them the chance to. I reject them first. I think you do it too."

"But you're beautiful and popular, why would anyone reject you?" Rachel asked.

"My own parents rejected me," Quinn told her. "Why should anyone else be the same?"

"I love the real you," Rachel blurted out quietly. Her face scrunched up and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Rachel, it's okay," Quinn assured her quickly with a smile. Her heat was suddenly thundering in her chest and it was even harder to breathe. "I love the real you, too."

Rachel immediately relaxed and her gaze locked into the hazel eyes staring up at her. She lifted a hand and placed it on the blonde's cheek, her thumb sweeping over skin there gently.

Quinn lifted a hand and wrapped her fingers around Rachel's wrist, keeping her hand in place and she leaned forward slightly.

Rachel searched her eyes, leaning down a little more. She felt her heart thundering in her chest and she had no idea what was about to happen but her body seemed to be moving on its own accord.

Just as the girls were mere inches away from one another, their noses almost touching, Quinn pulled away and launched into a wicked coughing fit.

Rachel sat back immediately. She squeezed back off the couch and gathered a few things from her pile. She returned with vapor rub and her humidifier. She handed Quinn the tiny bottle and headed for the kitchen for some water.

Ten minutes later they had returned to their previous positions, with Quinn on her side, head still in Rachel's lap. She had a firm grasp of the diva's hand and had the brunette's arm wrapped around her snugly.

"Hey, Rach?" she said softly, interrupting the quiet.

"Hmm?" the diva hummed.

"Thanks for all this," Quinn told her. "It means more than you know."

Rachel leaned down and pressed her lips to the blonde's temple. "You're welcome."

Quinn smiled contently and focused on the movie once again, snuggled into the warm body beside her it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep with visions dancing in her head of herself, Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Puck dancing in the library to some horrible 80's music and it was probably the best dream she'd had in some time.

**XX**

**A.N. **Well, as promised, some heavy Fabray time. Please don't hate me for always interrupting a potential kiss between these two with something. I just like the build up. It will happen eventually I'm sure…

Anyways please leave your thoughts on this one. Up next we should have the rest of the glee kids featured as well as some interesting conversations. Stay tuned and thanks so much for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

A.N. Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews, you guys are kind of blowing me away with the reception this story has gotten. It's awesome!

This section feels a little weird to me. Mostly because I'm writing some characters that I'm not 100% comfortable with but I had to break up the Rachel/Santana/Quinn and interject a few more faces into this one so that's what I've done. I hope it's up to par.

Also I've switched this back to the Pezberry pairing for now because this is pretty Santana-heavy (which I won't apologize for because I'm totally smitten by Naya).

Enjoy!

**XX**

"I've decided I forgive you," Finn announced to Rachel a few days later as he entered the choir room.

She turned to stare at him. "Excuse me?"

He took a few steps towards her to close the distance between them. "I forgive you for everything and I want us to get back together."

"You forgive me?" Rachel asked looking completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah," he answered with a nod.

"In case you've forgotten you were the one acting like a jealous jerk and pouting because I didn't spend all my spare time with you. Then you grabbed Santana, leaving bruises I might add, because of a stupid game of truth or dare. And you lied to me! So you may forgive me, but I certainly don't forgive you."

"He grabbed you?" Brittany asked, for once grasping the severity of the situation.

"He left bruises?" Quinn asked, her eyes darkening immediately.

"So not a big deal," Santana replied dismissively with a wave of her hand.

"Dude," Sam said to Finn, a frown on his face. "Not cool."

"Rachel," Santana called, trying to get the diva's attention. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Let me see," Quinn said to Santana, moving to sit next to the brunette cheerleader and reaching for her.

"Paws off, Fabray," Santana told her, slapping her hands away.

"I don't forgive you either," Rachel told Santana with a pointed look.

"It was an accident," Finn tried to explain as all the guys set him with looks.

"How do you grab someone that hard by accident?" Rachel wondered.

"Ass," Quinn added with a scowl, still trying to get a look at the bruises.

"Wait, why are you mad at Santana?" Kurt asked Rachel, his inner gossip getting the better of him.

"Let me see," Quinn insisted again.

"Okay, okay," Santana finally relented. She stood up and pulled Quinn to her feet, Brittany trailing behind them as they left the room.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Puck asked Finn.

"Aren't you going with them?" Mercedes asked Rachel as the cheerleaders left the room.

"I'm surprised they let you out of their sight," Kurt noted, one slim eyebrow raised.

"They're not my bodyguards," Rachel told them with a scowl of her own.

"Does this mean you know about Santana and Finn?" Kurt wondered. Rachel set a fiery glare on him and he knew he had his answer. "Nevermind."

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Will asked as he entered the room. "Where is everyone?"

"You really don't want to know," Mercedes told him. "Quinn, Brit and Satan will be right back."

"Mercedes please don't call her that," Rachel requested.

"Since when do you stick up for her?" Mercedes shot back. "Especially after what she did."

"Leave Rachel alone," Puck told them all. "If anyone in here has some explaining to do, it's Finn." He set his ex-best friend with a glare. "You like having everyone think you're the nice guy with too many people breathing down your neck and needing too much from you, huh? I guess now we know the real you."

"Hey, easy, Puck," Will broke in. "What's going on guys?"

"Finn grabbed Santana at a party last weekend," Rachel told him.

Everyone suddenly stopped.

Will set a shocked gaze on Finn, who refused to meet his eyes. "What?"

"It was an accident, Mr. Schue," Finn explained quickly. "I didn't mean to."

Will turned as the three cheerleaders entered the room again, the two blondes setting murderous glares towards Finn. "Okay, Finn, you and I need to have a talk. The rest of you, why don't we break early today? We still have a few weeks before Sectionals and I have a feeling we need to get some things worked out before we can make any progress."

Everyone stood up and headed for the exits, most of them shooting dirty looks in Finn's direction and breaking into small groups to gossip about the latest developments.

"Rach," Santana called as the diva exited the room with Quinn.

Rachel turned, her eyes not meeting Santana's. She remained quiet.

Santana approached slowly. "Can we please talk?"

"I'm sorry," Rachel replied, still not meeting her gaze. "I just can't yet."

"Okay," Santana mumbled.

Rachel turned and pulled Quinn along after her. The blonde shot her a sympathetic smile before they rounded a corner and headed for the parking lot.

"Bye, S," Brittany called as she pushed Artie down the hall after them.

Santana smiled at her best friend and returned the smile Artie shot her way as they passed as well. Puck was busy on his phone and the look in his eye told her he was sexting someone. Kurt and Mercedes left together, as did Tina and Mike. Sam lingered in the doorway, obviously waiting for Finn and he flashed an uncomfortable smile her way, which she returned before heading down the hall.

Alone.

**XX**

"Something weird is going on," Mercedes told Kurt as the two of them walked the hall a few minutes later.

"Definitely," Kurt agreed.

"We need to get to the bottom of it," Mercedes said.

"Absolutely," Kurt agreed again.

"Are you alright?" she asked, noticing he looked rather far off.

He snapped out of it and nodded. "Fine. I just have a feeling that something is going on between the three of them."

"Who, the cheerleaders?" Mercedes wondered.

Kurt shook his head. "No. Quinn, Santana and Rachel."

She laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"They have been spending a lot of time together lately." He furrowed his brow. "Rachel dumped Finn, Quinn dumped Sam. Santana told Puck no more booty calls."

"You don't think…" Mercedes paused to consider what she was suggesting.

Kurt's face soured. "I really hope not."

"We should talk to them," Mercedes suggested, shaking her head to clear that image from her brain.

"I volunteer to talk to Quinn," Kurt agreed quickly.

"I'm not talking to Satan about this," Mercedes grumbled.

"She likes you more than she likes me," Kurt offered with a pleading smile. "You two sang together."

"So did you and Rachel, that doesn't make you best friends now, does it?" she challenged.

He sighed. "Please, Mercedes? Santana scares the hell out of me. Plus she makes more gay jokes than Puck and I'm not in the mood."

"I got your back," she agreed. She knew he had been having some trouble lately and wanted to take at least that burden off his back.

"What about Rachel?" he wondered.

"Let's talk to the other two first," Mercedes suggested. "Then we'll see where we stand."

"Courage," Kurt whispered to himself.

"Hmm?" Mercedes asked.

"Nothing," he assured her as they walked.

**XX**

Santana entered the cafeteria alone and stood in the doorway, her eyes sweeping over several familiar faces as she did.

Brittany and Artie were seated at a table with some of the glee kids. Brittany was on his lap and she was feeding him something. Brittany suddenly said something to make the entire table erupt into laughter.

Puck was seated with several jocks and cheerleaders across the room. His arm was slung over the back of some girl's chair and he seemed to be working his magic on her and she seemed to be loving every moment of it.

Rachel and Quinn were seated alone at a small table in the corner. They were talking quietly about something, off in their own little world, completely oblivious to anything and everything going on around them.

It made Santana's heart hurt.

Rachel hadn't spoken to her since she'd admitted that she had slept with Finn so she was sure today would be no different. She headed out of the room to find some peace and to figure out exactly why she'd done what she did.

Maybe if she could explain it better Rachel would forgive her.

She pulled the auditorium door open and wandered inside, sitting in the back row of seats, her feet propped up on the seat in front of hers.

Before she could even take a breath she heard the door behind her open and she twisted enough to see Mercedes walk through the door.

"Hey," the diva greeted softly.

Santana's face shifted with confusion. "Hey. What are you doing in here?"

"What are you doing in here?" Mercedes wondered as she took a seat in the row in front of Santana, turned in her seat so she could face the cheerleader, propping her chin up in her hand.

Santana shrugged. "I just needed to think."

"Well even though you tried to punch me a couple of times and when I'm not looking you like to put weird stuff in my food, you can talk to me if you want," Mercedes told her, a playful tone coloring her voice.

Santana smirked at that.

"Rachel's mad at you," Mercedes noted quietly. "Right?"

Santana nodded once. "I screwed up."

"How?"

"Sleeping with Finn," Santana admitted.

"She's mad about that?" Mercedes wondered. "That was last year. You two weren't even friends then and she was dating Jesse."

"I know," Santana muttered with a sigh.

"That girl…" Mercedes mumbled. "It doesn't really seem fair to me that she's mad at you for that."

"Because she knows why I did it," Santana told her. "To get to her. And it only makes it worse now because we're friends. I just didn't think it was fair. She's super talented and totally smokin' hot under the grandma clothes. She always wanted Quinn and Puck and Finn and even B to be her friend. She wanted to be popular." She shook her head, knowing she wasn't making any sense. "She never even talked to me."

Mercedes suddenly seemed to have a bit of a revelation. "You wanted Rachel to notice you."

Santana suddenly glared at her. "I could have had any guy in school. I picked Frankenteen. He has the sex appeal of a shovel. Why do you think I picked him of all people?"

Something suddenly clicked.

"Do you like her?" Mercedes asked softly.

Dark eyes met hers, a warning glare hiding just beneath the surface.

"My best friend is a card carrying member of the rainbow brigade, you can tell me," Mercedes told her with a smile.

"I do," Santana admitted softly. "And I hate that I hurt her."

"Just give her some time," Mercedes told her. "She'll come around."

"I don't have time," Santana insisted. "Giving her time is giving…nevermind."

"You did hear the part about being able to talk to me, right?" Mercedes asked.

Santana sighed and flopped down in a chair again. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine."

Mercedes sensed that she wasn't going to get much more than what she'd already gotten from the cheerleader so she nodded. "If you ever need to talk…"

Santana nodded, keeping her eyes averted until she heard the other girl get up. Just as Mercedes reached the door, Santana turned to face her. "Hey, Mercedes." The diva met her gaze. "Thanks."

Mercedes smiled, nodding her head and pushed through the door leaving the cheerleader alone again.

**XX**

Later that afternoon Santana was the first one in the choir room. Usually Rachel was the first one there so Santana knew she might actually get a minute alone with the other girl if she was there early as well.

She was right.

Rachel had her head buried in several sheets of music and didn't notice the cheerleader there for a moment. She glanced up and jumped, her music going everywhere. "Santana, you scared me."

"I'm sorry," Santana said. "I just wanted to talk."

"Alright," Rachel replied, her eyes not meeting the other girl's.

"I miss you," Santana blurted out, a blush rising to her cheeks when Rachel's eyes did finally snap up to meet hers. "It sounds lame. But it's true."

"Santana…"

"Look, I know that you know that the only reason I told you about Finn and myself is because he threatened to." Santana sighed. "I never really had any intentions of telling you because I thought it would hurt you."

"I thought we were friends," Rachel said softly. "You should have told me a long time ago."

"Rach, if I had told you a long time ago it would have been to get a rise out of you," Santana reasoned. "I had no real reason to tell you until recently."

"I know," Rachel admitted with a huff. She knew her anger was completely displaced but she couldn't help it. "I can't help that I still feel mad at you. But I think I'm mad at the old you."

"That's okay," Santana told her with a smile, knowing she was well on her way to being forgiven. "I deserve to have you mad at me. For everything I've ever done. I feel like I kind of got off easy."

"I've tried to keep the past the past," Rachel told her, realizing this situation was really no different than anything else the cheerleader had done. It just wasn't coming to light until now. "I can do it with this too."

Something about that statement caused Santana's heart to wrench. "I hate that you have to keep sweeping things I do under the rug. Why bother?"

Rachel frowned, concerned about the sudden change in the other girl. "Because we're friends."

"I just wonder if I'm worth it at all."

Rachel's frown deepened, creasing her brow and she moved forward pulling Santana into her arms. She heard the other girl sigh and she squeezed her gently. "Santana, what's going on?"

"I'm fine," Santana insisted with a ghost of a smile as she released Rachel. She gazed at the other girl for a moment, a smile quirking her lips. "I really have missed you the last few days." She pulled Rachel closer to her, linking their arms as they walked from the room.

"I've missed you too," Rachel admitted with a smile. She was concerned for her friend, especially since she shut down again before she could open up just a bit. "I'll get you to open up one day." She poked the cheerleader in the ribs gently.

"You wish," Santana dismissed with a smirk.

"We'll see," Rachel sing-songed as they walked.

**XX**

A.N. I feel Rachel over-reacted to the news of Santana and Finn, but she does that a lot so I felt that it wouldn't be that hard for Santana to gain her forgiveness after Rachel had a few days to cool off. It was mostly anger at the old Santana and hurt that the new Santana only told her because Finn threatened to so all is well again.

Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed this one. Like I said it kind of feels more on the filler side of things, but that was mostly just to break up all the chapters that solely focus on Rach, Quinn and Santana.

Thanks so much for reading and let me know your thoughts!

Up next I have some Quinn time and I'm not sure which way I'm going to go with it so we'll see how it plays out…


	23. Chapter 23

A.N. Hey guys! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, especially the few of you that think this story is completely overrated. At least one of those people left me some fairly constructive criticism, which I appreciate more than someone just bashing the story, but hey, whatever. *ends rant*

To the rest of you: Enjoy!

**XX**

"Quinn, could I have a word with you?" Kurt asked as he leaned against the locker next to hers.

"Sure," Quinn replied. The two of them hadn't exactly ever been friends but Quinn found that she really liked him when she had been able to spend time with him the year before living with Mercedes.

"What are you up to?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"This thing with Rachel," he clarified. "You can't tell me you're actually trying to be friends with her. You can't stand her."

"Kurt, I'm going to take into account the fact that I like you,' Quinn told him, her voice dropping and eyes narrowing further. "And that's why you're going to get out of this unharmed. Don't presume you know anything about me, despite the fact that we got to know each other better last year."

"What could you possibly have to gain by knocking her down even further than she is?" he wondered.

"There's nothing to gain," she told him, her teeth clenched. "Why do you care anyways? You're not exactly her biggest fan. And didn't we have this conversation already?"

Kurt nodded. "It's just…Rachel is more fragile than people realize and I know she wears a brave face when she's here but that doesn't mean what people do to her here doesn't affect her. I won't stand by while you destroy her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." she told him softly. "I promise you that."

"Did Sue Sylvester put you and Santana up to this?" Kurt asked. "Because you don't need the Cheerios, you did fine on your own last year."

"Yeah the slushie facials were a nice way to start a morning," Quinn responded, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

"We could protect you from those," Kurt told her. "We could protect you from whatever you needed us to. Please don't go through with another one of Sue's plans to take us down. Not when we're already so far down the ladder already this year."

"She has nothing to do with anything going on with Rachel and I," Quinn told him.

"You can't expect me to believe that you actually like Rachel Berry," he said with a laugh. He caught sight of her face and his laughter died, his expression growing serious. "Or do you?"

Quinn swallowed hard and grabbed his hand, tugging him down the hallway and into the empty choir room. "Nothing said in this room will leave this room, understand?"

He nodded.

Quinn hesitated, her eyes on the floor. "I like her."

Before he could stop himself he was crossing the room and pulling her into a hug. She was stiff in his arms at first but then melted into the embrace, emotion suddenly getting the better of her.

"I don't really know what this means," she admitted quietly.

He shook his head and swiped at a tear that slipped down her cheek. "It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. You like her and that's that."

She looked up at him with watery eyes. "My parents…"

He shook his head and pulled her against him again. "Can I give you a little advice?" She nodded against his chest. "Before you tell anyone else you need to decide if _you're_ okay with this. Because if you are, telling anyone will go much smoother because in your heart you're staying true to you. If you're not okay, then you need to either get to the point where you are, or let her go."

"I never realized how hard it was for you," she admitted quietly.

He smiled a little wistfully at that and released her, keeping his hands on her shoulders to keep her close. "Just remember that you have me."

"I thought you thought I was up to no good," she joked with a sniffle, swiping at her eyes.

He handed her a tissue from a small packet in his bag and shook his head. "You'd have to be a pretty amazing actress to convince me that you're falling for Rachel Berry and as much as I respect the talents you do possess I don't believe acting is one of them."

"I'll ignore the barely buried insult," she told him with a laugh. It felt really good to have another ally standing beside her. Especially one who had already navigated the minefield she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of.

Was she gay?

Did she just have a thing for Rachel?

Did God suddenly hate her because of those feelings?

Was she going to Hell?

"Stop," Kurt ordered gently. He waited for hazel eyes to meet hers. "Quinn, just relax."

Her heart was beating faster in her chest and her vision sharpened. Her chest felt tight and one single thought suddenly consumed her entire consciousness.

Run.

So she did.

"Quinn!" Kurt called, watching her run from the room. He frowned and pulled out his phone, texting Mercedes to see if she'd had better luck with Santana.

**XX**

"Rachel, could you come in here please?" Hiram called from the living room.

Rachel exchanged a look with Leroy and he nodded. "We just want to talk to you for a minute, sweetie."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, not having a clue what this could be about.

She took a seat on the couch across from where Hiram sat on the ottoman. "Dad, Daddy, what's up?"

"You're not in trouble, Rachel," Hiram told her with a smile. He could see it in her eyes that she was wracking her brain trying to figure out if she'd done something wrong.

"We had a visitor this afternoon," Leroy told her. "Finn came by."

"I'm assuming he told you we broke up," Rachel sighed.

"He did," Hiram agreed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Rachel shrugged a shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal."

"He also told us that he believes your new friends might have had something to do with your break up," Leroy told her carefully. He suddenly held his breath.

Rachel suddenly began to seethe. "I cannot believe he would come here and tell you that. It's an outright lie!"

"Is it?" Hiram challenged. "You've been spending an awful lot of time with those two girls."

The way her father said it left nothing to the imagination about how he felt about 'those two girls'. That only made Rachel seethe more. "They have nothing to do with this."

"We just wonder if they were perhaps more indirectly responsible for the break-up," Leroy told her, trying to bring the tension down a notch.

Rachel set him with an annoyed look, her head tilting to the side. "Dad…"

"He just means that we know you haven't had many girl friends over the years and we just thought that maybe you were so excited about having them that you pushed your boyfriend aside," Hiram told her.

"Finn blew everything out of proportion," Rachel told them both, springing to her feet to pace the room. "Just because I didn't spend every available moment of my free time with him he was angry."

"Sweetie, he's heartbroken," Hiram told her. "And he was such a nice boy. Those two girls on the other hand…"

"What about them?" Rachel demanded, whirling on her father instantly. "How dare you judge them. You don't even know them."

"I know what they've done to you over the years," Hiram shot back. "The teasing and the name calling. They were horrible to you."

"I'm sure Finn was glad to tell you all about it," Rachel grumbled, her arms crossing over her chest. She was going to kill him.

"They're not good girls," Hiram told her firmly.

"They've changed," Rachel insisted.

"Overnight it seems," Hiram told her.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "If Finn was truly honest with you he would have told you how horrible I can be at times to them as well. I've lied and manipulated and done whatever I had to get ahead in glee. I didn't give very many people a reason to like me."

"Alright, let's all take a breath here," Leroy cut in gently. He turned to his partner. "Hiram, sweetie, if Rachel is sure they've changed then maybe we should give them a chance to prove it. Get to know them better. Rachel, you need to understand that we are just worried about you and don't want you to be hurt further by these girls."

"Daddy?" Rachel questioned, waiting to see what his reaction would be to Leroy's compromise.

Hiram's jaw clenched, sighing heavily but nodding eventually. "I'll do my best to get to know them without judgment."

"They deserve a clean slate," Rachel told them both. "We all do sometimes."

Leroy smiled at his little girl, his heart swollen with pride that she was such a caring, forgiving person and he pulled her into a hug. "Why don't you go up and start your homework. Dinner will be ready in a bit."

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered as she hugged him tightly. She kissed her Daddy on the cheek as she passed him too, knowing he'd given in to her yet again. "Thanks, Daddy."

**XX**

"Tell me I'm not going to Hell," Quinn begged quietly the moment Santana pulled her front door open.

"What?" Santana wondered, confusion coloring her expression. She pulled the blonde through the door.

Quinn took in a shaky breath. "I think I might actually like her."

Santana shook her head, a warning look in her eye. "Don't say that, Q."

"Why not?" Quinn wondered, annoyed.

Santana shook her head. "No. Because I think I kind of like her too."

"You do not," Quinn insisted, her eyes narrowing.

"How do you know?" Santana asked as she stepped into Quinn's personal space.

"You just want to win." Quinn stared at her, daring her to object and she was shocked when Santana did object.

Santana shook her head, a hesitant expression settling over her features suddenly. "I really think that I might like her." She laughed. "It's been three weeks. And I like her. It's insane, right?"

Quinn shook her head. "Don't ask me, I like her too. And I'll end up in Hell for it."

"Will you shut up?" Santana ordered with a roll of her eyes. "You think your God is going to send you to hell for loving another person?"

"I never said I loved her," Quinn corrected with a bit of a scowl. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"Quinn, you're a good person deep down…we both are, regardless of some of the shit we've done," Santana told her. "In the end I think that's all that really matters."

Quinn was silent for a moment. "It's weird because that's how I feel in my heart, but my head keeps reciting bible verses and the voice sounds strangely like my father so I can't help feeling terrible inside."

"Listen to your heart," Santana told her. She waited for troubled hazel eyes to meet hers and she smiled. "I promise. Have I ever steered you wrong?" Quinn opened her mouth to retort but Santana shook her head. "Don't answer that."

Quinn smiled a little and nodded, allowing herself to be pulled into a hug. "Thanks, S."

"Anytime," Santana replied. She was quiet for a moment. "Do you really like her?"

Quinn read the vulnerability in her friend's eyes and she knew without a doubt that Santana did honestly like Rachel a little like she claimed. She also knew that she liked Rachel too. It seemed as though the bet had gotten the better of both of them. And only a few weeks in.

She felt like a sucker.

And it was her bet.

"I do," Quinn admitted softly.

Santana's frown deepened and her bottom lip was worried between two rows of teeth. "So now what?"

Quinn thought for a moment, a deep sigh escaping her lips. "Finn's out of the way. Now I guess we both step up our games."

Santana studied her for a moment before nodding. "She'll still pick one of us."

"And one of us might end up hurt," Quinn mumbled with a frown.

"How the hell did this happen?" Santana wondered.

Quinn smiled a little. "She's really sweet."

"And totally hot," Santana added.

"Kinda funny," Quinn pointed out, a fond smile growing on her lips.

Santana grinned a little too. "She smells really good."

"And looks amazing in short dresses and heels," Quinn added.

Santana suddenly frowned. "We're being totally gross right now."

"We are not," Quinn replied with a laugh. "Chill, S, it's okay to like someone besides Brit and it's okay to actually like someone and not just want to sleep with them."

"Yeah when was the last time that happened?" Santana wondered.

"Promise me that no matter what happens in all of this that we'll be okay," Quinn said softly.

Santana nodded. "Of course, Q. Hoes before…well, you know." A thought suddenly occurred to her and she pursed her lips as she figured out the best way to broach the subject.

"What?" Quinn asked hesitantly. She'd seen that face before.

Santana smirked. "You knowing me so well does have its advantages."

"Out with it," Quinn sighed. She knew that anything that came out of Santana's brain could either be a genius idea or a total plan of lunacy.

"There is one option we haven't discussed."

When Santana didn't continue, Quinn frowned. "What is it that you can't even say it out loud? You have no shame. Just say it."

"Because once I say this, I can't really un-say it. So just be prepared." Santana hesitated once more and sighed. "We could, ya know…share."

"What?" Quinn asked, one brow raised. Her eyes got wide when Santana gave her a look that said it all. "Share Rachel?"

Santana shrugged. "I can tell that she likes us both. That much is obvious. What if we call off the bet and we both see her?"

"Like date her at the same time?" Quinn didn't look entirely convinced. "I'd say yes, but what happens if it goes beyond dating? We both just admitted to liking her."

"Well, we could always…you know." Santana didn't finish the sentence because she knew her thought was a bit out there.

Quinn caught on quickly and her eyes got a bit wide. "Like all three of us?"

Santana looked rather panicked in that moment as well. "I don't know, Q! I'm just trying to provide us with alternative solutions."

"It's alternative alright," Quinn mumbled. She looked at her best friend. "Besides, I'm not sure I could go there with you. No offense."

"I am smoking hot, you totally could," Santana quipped with a bit of heat behind her glare.

"You're only saying that cause you like blondes," Quinn teased.

Santana shrugged. "We'll see about that."

"What does that mea-" Quinn was cut off by Santana's lips on hers. The brunette's hands were tangled in her hair and once her initial shock wore off and she relaxed into the kiss she found that the other girl was a really good kisser.

Santana pulled away and the two of them stared at each other for a moment.

"No way," they agreed in unison. Good kisser or not, it was apparent that it was just awkward.

"I need a beer," Santana mumbled, turning to head for the door.

Quinn followed along after her, nodding in agreement. "Or maybe something stronger."

"Totally."

"Q?" Santana asked, stopping short suddenly. Quinn raised an eyebrow signaling she should continue. "Want to drop the bet anyways?"

Quinn nodded. "Yeah."

"But we're still competing for her?" Santana wondered.

"Totally," Quinn agreed.

A funny thing happened in that moment. Both girls' hearts got just a little bit lighter the second the bet was called off. They knew now they were in this for the right reasons and it made them both feel that much better.

**XX**

**A.N. **So I'm sensing some frustration from a lot of you and I feel like I need you to understand that I get it. I think Faberry fans are passionate about their pairing and Pezberry fans are the same way so no matter which way I lean in any particular chapter I'm going to upset some people.

And I realize I have been rather unfair with the time allotted to each pairing. All I have to say is that we're just wading through friendships at the moment, the romantic stuff hasn't even started so maybe once that takes place, the roles could possibly be reversed. ( I really hope you guys understood that, I'm not making a lot of sense)

I would also like to point out that time-wise, only a few weeks have passed so I really don't feel like either girl would have tried to take things to a romantic level outright just yet.

But it's close so stick with me. Twenty-three chapters have gotten us to this point so I'm sensing I may have created a monster.

Thanks for reading and I apologize for the lengthy AN...I guess I'm just in a mood...


	24. Chapter 24

A.N. Hey guys! Thank you to all of you that reviewed the last chapter…I was kind of down and your comments really helped me get out of my little funk and get back to work so I appreciate everything!

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Out with it," Puck demanded as he pushed his way into the screened-in porch where Santana was enjoying a beer.

"Excuse me?" she said, one eyebrow raised.

He grabbed a beer from the cooler next to her chair and popped the top. "What's up with you and Quinn and Rachel?" He suddenly smirked. "Please tell me there's something going on."

She smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Hell yes," he replied with a nod.

She dropped her feet to the floor and leaned up so her elbows rested on her knees, leaning in close like she was about to tell him a major secret. He leaned forward and Santana could almost see him drooling. "We're friends."

He glared and leaned back in his seat. "I don't buy it. You've done nothing but give her shit _and_ you slept with Finn."

Since she and Quinn had made the bet, Santana had been desperate to tell someone the real truth about things because she felt like she had to get her real feelings out there and talk to it about someone. Puck was relatively trustworthy. He had managed to keep the truth about actually being Quinn's baby-daddy to himself. Maybe he could keep this to himself too.

"Lopez, wake up," he called, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Do that again and I'll break them off," she told him with a scowl. She suddenly glanced around them to be sure they were completely alone and she leaned forward on her elbows again. "Listen to me, Puckerman, I'm about to tell you something that no one can ever know about. Ever."

"Okay," he agreed with an anxious nod.

"If I find out you breathed a word about this to anyone, I'll be sure every cheerleader from every school in the state knows the truth about you," she let the statement hang in the air as her eyes darted towards his crotch for a second before meeting his eyes.

His eyes widened and his hands dropped to his crotch before he narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at her. "You promised."

"That's how serious I am right now," she told him.

He nodded, growing serious, sensing his friend was about to share something pretty major. "I promise."

"Not a word," she told him and he nodded again. "Not only will I tell, but I'll break every finger on your right hand so not only will you never get laid again in high school, you won't even be able to handle yourself," she swore lowly.

He rolled his eyes at this point because the point had been made and he was itching for the big reveal.

"So a few weeks ago when we did the mash-up thing in glee…it made me realize something," she told him. She rolled her eyes. "Rachel is a hottie."

"Dude, please tell me that's not all you had to say," he sighed. "I knew that already."

She shook her head. "So I freaked out and went to talk to Q about it and apparently I wasn't the only one who thought she looked smokin' hot in leather."

"Q?" he asked, his eyes growing wider.

She nodded. "Anyways…this is going to sound so 'bad teen movie'…we made a bet that we would both get her to date us and we had three months to get her to fall for one of us. Whoever won got the top of the cheerleading pyramid."

Puck's face suddenly clouded over and he stood up, pointing at her again. "I always thought most of the crap you gave Rachel was funny because as much as I like my fellow hot Jews out there, she can talk way too much and be kind of annoying, but this takes it to a whole new level."

"Let me finish!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet, both her hands in front of her. "I like her, okay? Like I smile at stupid things she does, and my heart skips a beat when she touches me. I want to be around her all the time. She smells good and makes me laugh and she…she cares about me. We called the bet off, but we're both still…competing for her or whatever."

His eyes narrowed for a moment before he frowned when tears sprang to her eyes. Santana Lopez did not cry. "You really like her? Like how you like Brit?"

"It's different with Rachel than with B," Santana told him with a shake of her head, sniffling and swiping at her eyes. "I can't explain it."

"It's fucked up," he told her.

She nodded. "I know."

"You gonna tell her about the bet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I can't. And you can't either. I'm hoping I can get her to fall as hard for me as I'm falling for her then tell her and then maybe she won't hate me. If she loves me she can't hate me, right?"

"Do you love her?" he asked, a surprised expression on his face. The L word had been the last word he'd expected out of her mouth.

"No," she replied with another short shake of her head, her eyes falling to her lap. "But I could."

"Seriously?" he asked. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. She nodded into his chest and he sighed. "Damn, Lopez, this is really screwed up."

"I know," she replied. "But please don't say anything. I know the whole thing was started for the wrong reasons, but we're continuing for the right ones."

"Q likes her too?" he asked.

She nodded again and he released her. "Yeah."

"Damn, can't you just share?" he asked, a smirk appearing.

She smiled, her mind flashing back to the horrible kiss with Quinn. "We discussed it and decided that Q and I couldn't really ever go there."

"Damn," he sighed.

She punched him in the arm and they both sat back down and took long drinks from their beers. "Seriously, Puck, not a word."

"I swear," he promised. "If this was just a stupid bet, I'd be on my way to her house right now but you've called it off so I'll let it play out. Plus it'll be totally hot."

"You're such a guy," she sighed. When he didn't respond she glanced his way and rolled her eyes at the far away expression and she knew there was only one thing on his mind…or three someones to be exact.

**XX**

Quinn was seated next to Rachel the next day in glee and she couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on her. She glanced to her right and Rachel was paying close attention to Will…when Santana wasn't leaned over her whispering in her ear. A glance to her left found Puck's eyes on her. He shot her a knowing smile, tilting his chin up in a way that made her stomach flip. She couldn't explain the wave of panic that settled over her at the look in his eyes.

Like he knew something.

What exactly that was, she wasn't sure, but she had to get to the bottom of it. She glanced around and things were the norm: Mr. Schue was blathering on about something leaving Rachel the only one actually paying him any attention. Everyone else was off in their own little worlds so she pulled out her phone and texted Puck.

_What?_

A moment later he replied.

_What? I'm minding my own business…_

_No. Actually you're staring._

_I just realized how hot a Rachel sandwich would be…_

_Shut up! Don't be gross._

_Is it really gross, Q?_

She flipped her phone shut and glared at him, rolling her eyes when he smirked. Will broke them up into groups at that point to work on some choreography. She was trying to pay attention to what Brittany was doing but all her attention was focused on Puck and Santana standing across the room pretending to watch Mike while they whispered to each other.

A soft hand on her arm stirred her from her thoughts and she glanced up to find chocolate eyes watching her closely.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked quietly.

Quinn cast one more glance at Santana and Puck only to find them watching her as well. She narrowed her eyes at them and shot them a pointed look to let them both know she was on to them, to which they just smirked, before turning back to Rachel who seemed to be glancing back and forth from her to the other pair as well.

"I'm fine," Quinn insisted quietly. She took a moment to allow her eyes to sweep over the other girl. "You look pretty today." She cringed. "Not that you normally don't look pretty…" She sighed. "You know what I mean."

A grin quirked Rachel's lips. "I do. Thank you."

Quinn hesitated, her eyes on Brittany as she worked up the courage and the right words to say something. "I actually need to talk to you about some things. Do you have plans after school?"

Rachel's face shifted into a concerned frown in an instant. The tone of the blonde's voice and the trouble clouding her usually bright eyes was enough to have her worried. "No. We could go to my house if you'd like."

Quinn nodded. "Okay."

Rachel slid an arm through Quinn's as they both tried to pay attention to the lesson Brittany was trying to give them on dance steps. She squeezed the blonde's arm gently. "Whatever it is, Quinn, it'll be okay. I promise."

Quinn found some comfort in those words and nodded, smiling a little when Rachel leaned her head over on her shoulder, squeezing her arm once more.

She felt two sets of eyes on her again and met Santana's eyes across the room, the brunette scowling at her just a bit. She smirked and allowed her head to rest against the head on her shoulder.

On the inside she was still confused and torn and she seemed to have a raging storm playing inside. She tried her best to pay attention, but it was obvious ten minutes later when she kept stepping on Kurt and bumping into Mike that she was completely distracted.

Will called practice not too long after and everyone seemed to scatter and go their own way. Usually that left Santana, Quinn and Rachel the last ones in the room as Rachel took her time to gather all her things, like she was never in a hurry to leave the one place in school that she felt special. That afternoon, however, Puck hung back and quietly watched the three girls and it was beginning to get on one girl's nerves in particular.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Puckerman?" Santana asked, annoyance coloring her tone.

He shook his head, smirking. "Nope."

"Puck," Santana started, her voice taking on a fake sugary-sweet tone that still made Rachel's stomach drop in anticipation of something awful happening. "Be gone in five seconds or I'll start talking."

His eyes narrowed before sighing. "Fine. I'm out. Later."

"Bye, Noah," Rachel called after him. She glanced at Quinn. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure." Quinn nodded. She glanced towards the door and then back to Santana. "What's with him?"

Santana shook her head. "No clue."

Quinn's eyes narrowed knowing her friend wasn't telling her something but let it go.

"Hey, Rach?" Santana asked.

"Hmm?" Rachel hummed, setting her gaze on the brunette cheerleader.

"Think we can reschedule since we missed last Saturday?" Santana asked.

Rachel nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Sure. How about this weekend?"

"Absolutely," Santana agreed with a grin of her own. She took a few steps towards the diva, closing the distance between them and placed her hand on one of Rachel's cheeks, kissing the other one softly. "Call me later?"

Rachel blushed and nodded. "Sure."

"Later, Q," Santana called, shooting her a smirk before heading out of the room, her hips swaying the entire way.

Quinn couldn't help the stab of jealousy at the way Rachel watched her friend leave the room but she could barely find it within herself to let it bother her. She was far too conflicted.

"Quinn?" Rachel coaxed gently.

There was a warm hand on her arm again, so soft and gentle. She couldn't help in that instant compare it to Finn's hands or Puck's hands. They were always so big and calloused and she didn't notice until now the stark difference. She wasn't even sure why it mattered or why her brain even went there.

Though it made sense with everything on her mind.

She finally met concerned mocha-colored eyes again and mustered up enough of a smile to get them moving.

Rachel drove. She spent the ten minutes going on about Sectionals coming up and Quinn was grateful that Rachel didn't pause long enough to ask Quinn anything at all because Quinn had a feeling that once she opened her mouth she'd have a hard time not spilling her guts about everything clouding her brain.

It was only when they were in the safe, warm confines of Rachel's bedroom, seated across from each other on the bed that Rachel finally got to it.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" she asked quietly.

Quinn took in a shaky breath, her fingers tracing imaginary patterns over the bedspread under them. "I need to talk to you about something and I really couldn't think of a better person to talk to about this."

"You can talk to me about anything," Rachel insisted with an encouraging smile, trying not to burst on the inside because Quinn only wanted to talk to her. It was something that only the two of them would share. For now at least.

Quinn stared at her hands for a few seconds, gathering her courage. She licked her lips before opening her mouth. "I have feelings for another girl."

Rachel's initial reaction was one of jealousy. She felt it bubble up inside her and rise to her face and color her cheeks. She swallowed it down and pushed it aside because she really wanted to be there for her friend. Due to her upbringing it didn't immediately click as to why Quinn was so conflicted about this, but then it all made sense.

"I can see now why you're so conflicted," Rachel told her.

She shook her head. "I spoke to Santana about it and she told me that my God wouldn't punish me for loving someone else, but I can't help but revert back to everything I've ever known."

Again, the petty part of Rachel's brain only picked up on select words such as 'love' so again she had to soldier through. "Quinn, I have to side with Santana on this particular matter. You have a good heart and though some of the things you've done in the past were quite mean-spirited, none of us is perfect. You were quite kind when you were pregnant."

Quinn's eyes flashed with hurt at the mention of the pregnancy. It was still a rather touchy subject. "I think she gave me a soul."

Rachel giggled a little at that and the sound forced a smile on Quinn's lips as well. "I think sometimes you're too hard on yourself. And I don't think you'll be punished for having feelings for another girl either."

Quinn had to admit to herself that it felt a little better to hear Rachel say it. She still felt conflicted on the inside and part of her knew that wouldn't go away until she spoke to her mother. And that was a conversation she wasn't sure she would ever be able to have but without that acceptance she wasn't exactly sure how she would feel.

"It's not Santana is it?" Rachel asked finally, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Quinn raised a brow. "Santana?"

"You two have been spending more time together recently and you seem to have gotten over whatever it was that caused friction between you," Rachel explained. She shrugged when hazel eyes landed on her. "She's beautiful, though I'm not quite sure if she's your type."

Quinn actually laughed out loud, the laughter breaking the icy tension in her stomach and she shook her head. "No, Rachel, it's not Santana. Though I do seem to have a thing for brunettes."

"Oh?" Rachel perked up at that.

Quinn nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from the eyes watching her so intently. They were so warm and Quinn could see concern and caring playing in them as well. "If I tell you a secret will you promise not to disown me as your friend?" She smiled when Rachel nodded wordlessly and she stood up from the bed, pacing a few short steps before turning to the other girl. "I like you."

For an instant, Quinn wished her words were physical things that she could reach out and grasp and shove back into her body before they reached Rachel because for ten terrifying seconds Rachel was silent. And still. And it was torture.

Finally those eyes met hers again and those lips turned up into a smile. "I like you too."

And Quinn could finally breathe again. "Really?"

Rachel nodded, standing up and stepping closer to her. "How could you not know? I let you kiss me at the party and then almost twice after that."

Quinn shook her head. "I don't know." It was as if someone had set her ablaze from the inside. She almost swelled with a fire that she'd never felt before and in that moment she almost believed what Santana and Rachel had both told her because anything that felt that good couldn't be bad. Or wrong.

That reminded her.

"Rach…" She sighed, her eyes downcast. "I want to be fair to you and that's why I wanted to talk about how I felt before I talked about how I felt." She cringed at how stupid she suddenly sounded. "Do you know what I mean?"

Rachel nodded, her smile faltering slightly as Quinn seemed to grow rather somber again. "I do."

"Good," Quinn sighed. "I just know that my feelings for you aren't going to change. But I have to allow my other feelings to change and I hope you understand that they're there because of how I was raised and not because it's anything I want to feel."

"I understand, Quinn," Rachel told her softly, stepping closer to her.

"I might freak out," Quinn added.

Rachel nodded. One more step forward. She reached out and placed a hand on Quinn's hip, urging her closer.

"I might push you away." Quinn's eyes closed for an instant when she realized how close they suddenly were.

Rachel nodded again, moving closer still until their bodies were flush and her arms were wrapped around the blonde. "As long as you promise you'll always come back to me."

Quinn met her eyes, a steely resolve suddenly appearing and she nodded. "I promise."

Rachel's lips suddenly quirked into a grin and she leaned forward again, pressing her lips to Quinn's. It was like their first kiss, sweet and soft. It was chaste as Rachel knew Quinn was still rather conflicted and she knew she couldn't push too hard. When she met hazel eyes again she knew she hadn't. In that moment, Quinn's eyes were calm, the kiss soothing the storm that had been playing in them all afternoon.

"Finally," Quinn breathed, resting her forehead against Rachel's.

Rachel giggled and leaned back enough to press her lips to Quinn's cheek and then her forehead. "I can promise you that I'll be here to talk about anything you want. I'll be as understanding as I possibly can be if you freak out or push me away as long as you keep your promise to me."

Quinn smiled a little and she nodded. "I will."

"Okay," Rachel said softly and pressed another gentle kiss to her lips. She seemed to think of something suddenly. "I'm not one to hide who I am or what I think and feel but would you mind terribly if we kept this to ourselves for a while? Everything with Finn is still crazy and I'm afraid he might quit glee as it is. And then there's…" She trailed off, remembering who she was with.

"There's?" Quinn coaxed, squeezing Rachel a little, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Santana," Rachel answered softly, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh," Quinn sighed, deflating instantly. She had nearly forgotten about her friend in her Rachel-induced haze.

Rachel squirmed a little. "It's just…I've grown so close to both of you and I have all these feelings."

"You like her too?" Quinn asked softly.

Rachel blinked and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I do."

"What does that mean for you and me?" Quinn wondered.

"Would it be wrong to ask you to allow me to explore my feelings for you both?" Rachel wondered softly.

Quinn shook her head. "Only if you promise not to get mad at me when I get jealous."

Rachel laughed at that and poked the other girl in the ribs gently. "I promise."

"I'm holding you to that," Quinn told her softly. They were still standing in each other's arms, both content to do so.

Rachel smiled, her eyes sweeping over the face so close to hers. "You're really beautiful." She blushed. "Not just how you look in this moment to me, but I love this side of you."

Quinn reached up and brushed a few errant strands of dark hair away from the diva's eyes and tilted her head. "I love this side of you too."

"When I'm not bossy and domineering?" Rachel wondered with a teasing grin.

Quinn nodded, kissing her quickly to soothe what could have erupted into a small diva-fit. "I don't feel like that's really you. I feel like you want things so bad that you're willing to do whatever you have to do to get them."

Rachel blushed a little again, her eyes dropping. "I know I behave horribly sometimes but it makes it better to know that at least one person understands it."

"I do." Quinn kissed her again. "I like kissing you."

Rachel met her gaze, smiling broadly. "I like kissing you too."

Quinn was quiet for a moment. "What does this mean?"

Rachel searched her gaze for a moment and brushed a few errant strands of blonde hair from her eyes. "Quinn, we don't necessarily have to label anything. We're friends that like to kiss each other. Until we need to label it I suggest we just leave it at that."

Rachel's words seemed to soothe Quinn even more and she nodded, relief evident in her eyes. "I knew you were the right person to talk to."

Rachel smiled again at that. "I'm glad you came to me and you were honest. I know it wasn't easy."

Quinn shook her head and pulled Rachel towards the bed. The two of them got settled so they were lying side by side facing each other. Quinn reached out and grasped one of Rachel's hands with hers and laced their fingers together. She scooted closer until there was barely a breath between them and she kissed the brunette gently. "Thanks, Rachel."

The diva nodded, a soft smile on her lips.

**XX**

A.N. As you can see, this has been shifted back into the realm of Faberry so I know that makes some of you happy. This doesn't mean the end is even remotely near or that I've chosen a pairing…Quinn just happened to get to this point first.

Thanks again for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments!


	25. Chapter 25

**A.N. This may be lengthy so skip it if you want to…**

I just feel I owe you all an explanation for why it's taken me so long to update and it's for three reasons:

1. Things got a bit intense in here. The story and the reviews and the competition…it just got a little crazy so I felt like I had to take a step back.

2. Watching the show and the storyline they gave to Santana/Naya (who was AMAZING!) I had trouble even thinking about pairing Santana up with anyone besides Brittany because I was rooting so hard for them on the show so my heart was definitely not in Faberry or Pezberry while the show was on the air. Then RIB gave us what they did in the finale, and while I think the future looks bright for Brittana I'm concerned that the whole thing may fall apart like so many other story lines on Glee.

3. Serious writers block.

Either way, my heart is warming to these pairings and this story again and I will say it was one reviewer in particular that got my passion ignited again, so while I will keep them anonymous, I thank them because I never intended to let this one go, but I was having trouble getting it going again.

Thank you for reading and I hope too much time hasn't gone by for you to enjoy this chapter.

**XX**

Santana had a funny feeling the next morning as she walked the hall with Puck. It was as if she had suddenly developed her very own unique sixth sense the moment she saw Rachel and Quinn standing in the hallway chatting quietly at Quinn's locker.

Something was different.

The way they looked into each other's eyes and the gentle touches between them. It was like there was a new level of intimacy between them. It made Santana's heart clench in her chest.

"Morning, girlies," Santana greeted once she was close enough to them.

Both girls turned to her then, Rachel grinning widely and Quinn looking mildly annoyed that they'd been disturbed.

"Hi, Santana," Rachel greeted softly. "Noah."

"Hey, S," Quinn chimed in.

"Sup, hotties?" Puck greeted with a grin that made Quinn nervous. She'd never gotten around to talking to Santana the night before so she still had no idea what was up with the boy. He had his guitar case in one hand and he set the end on the floor before leaning on it.

Quinn's eyes narrowed as he proceeded to look every one of them up and down in turn, smiling lecherously.

"What, Puckerman?" Quinn finally growled.

He smirked, one hand rising in a defensive gesture, but before he could speak, another teen joined their little circle.

"Rachel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Finn requested.

Rachel sighed, her eyes closing for a moment before she turned to him. "What is it, Finn?"

He swallowed hard, glancing around to find Quinn, Puck and Santana standing firm, not willing to give him time alone with Rachel. "Could you guys give us a minute please?"

"They're fine where they are," Rachel told him, placing a calming hand on Santana's arm when the Latina opened her mouth to retort. "Just say whatever it is so I can go."

"Why are you so mad at me?" Finn demanded suddenly, his cheeks turning red.

Quinn and Santana exchanged a glance at the fire in Rachel's eye suddenly. "I'm mad at you for grabbing Santana and lying to me, neither of which you've even tried to apologize for, and then you have the nerve to go to my fathers and try to turn them against Quinn and Santana."

"What?" Santana growled, her eyes narrowing. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Finn!" Quinn exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground in emphasis.

Finn actually shrunk back at the glares the two cheerleaders set on him in that moment. "Rachel, let me explain…"

"No," she told him softly, but firmly. "I don't want to talk until you understand why I'm angry. Until then, I need some space."

"Rachel…" Finn frowned before glancing around, unable to find a friendly face amongst them. He finally nodded at Rachel and turned around, slowly walking away.

"He's nothing if persistent," Rachel sighed. "I should go; I want to practice some vocal runs before class.

"I'll walk you," Puck told her. "I have to drop the guitar off in there."

Santana glared at him, motioning to keep his mouth shut. He offered Rachel his arm and she shot both the cheerleaders a sly grin over his shoulder before she slid her arm through his and they walked off down the hall.

"What the hell is going on, Q?" Santana asked once they were alone.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn watched Rachel until she and Puck disappeared around the corner and she turned to her friend.

Santana's eyes narrowed slightly. "You and Rachel. Something is different."

"It's fine, S, really." The blonde wasn't able to hide the smile that slipped onto her lips just thinking about the night before.

Santana knew that face and it made her stomach turn. "You're not telling me something."

"What does he know?' Quinn asked, changing the subject.

Santana stared at her for a long moment, the fact that Quinn changed the subject only confirming her suspicions that something was going on that she was unaware of. "He knows."

Quinn's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open just a bit. "How could you tell him? What if he tells Rachel about how this whole thing started?"

Santana shook her head, leaning against the locker next to Quinn's, the cool metal surface sucking some of the heat from the skin of her bare arm. "Relax, Q. I explained everything and he's cool. Trust me when I say that I have something to hang over his head to keep him quiet."

Quinn suddenly smirked. "Are you talking about the thing with his…"

Santana laughed, her head nodding. "_So_ glad it wasn't just me."

"Oh no," Quinn giggled. She grabbed one final book from her locker and slammed it shut. "I have to go. See you later."

"Later," Santana agreed with a nod. She watched her blonde friend hurry down the hall and she frowned. She had a sneaking suspicion that something big had gone down the night before between her blonde friend and the girl they were both chasing.

_Maybe_, she thought, _it's time to lay it all on the line_.

A low rumbling of thunder filled the air around her ominously and she only hoped it wasn't a sign.

**XX**

Quinn pushed through her front door later that afternoon and breathed a sigh of relief. She loved being back on top at school and to know that she had Santana on her side again was definitely a relief, but the Head Bitch façade was exhausting and it was nice to be home where she could really be herself.

School wasn't all bad. Surprisingly enough the happiest parts of her day involved Rachel. The way the diva would meet her between a few of their classes to say hi or walk her to class and the way the diva sat next to her in glee made her chest swell with something she was sure she'd never really felt before.

Her problem was that since she'd confessed her feelings to Rachel there was a part of her heart and her head that she really couldn't shut off. That little voice that still sounded suspiciously like her father telling her she was going to hell for loving her little diva.

It scared her to death.

"Quinnie?" Judy called from somewhere near the back of the house.

"Mom?" Quinn's brow furrowed as she followed the voice, rolling her eyes immediately because she figured boy-toy number whatever would be there too.

She walked into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to see her mother alone sitting at the kitchen table. The older woman looked up at the footfalls and smiled. "Hi, honey. How was school?"

"Fine," Quinn answered cautiously as she moved to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "What are you doing here?" At that Judy looked rather guilty and conflicted, which had sudden alarm bells going off in Quinn's head. "Mom?"

"Your father called me," Judy said softly.

Quinn's eyes got wide and she felt her fight or flight instincts kick in immediately. She began making a mental note of things to pack in case this got ugly.

To Quinn's shock, Judy chuckled softly. "Quinn, relax, please. Sit down."

"What did he say?" Quinn wondered softly. She took a seat across the table from her mother and swallowed nervously.

"How he knows, I have no idea, but he told me that you've been spending time with Rachel Berry." Judy paused to take in the reaction from her daughter. It was subtle, but Quinn's face relaxed into a soft smile and her cheeks reddened at the mention of the other girl. "Are the two of you friends now?"

Quinn suddenly saw her opening. Since she discovered that her feelings for Rachel had been developing Quinn felt like deep down she had been searching for some kind of approval. Some kind of acceptance. She'd gotten it from Rachel. She'd gotten it from Santana and she knew that even Puck had given it to her in his own way.

But it wasn't enough.

She knew that she would have a much more difficult time truly accepting her feelings if her mother didn't accept how she felt. So she knew in that moment that she had to talk to her mom about it.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about something," Quinn said softly. She could feel her heart thrumming in her chest and her senses sharpened again, preparing her for fight or flight.

Judy reached across the table and grasped one of Quinn's hands in both of hers. "You can tell me anything, honey."

"Is that true?" Quinn asked, her voice wavering as she met her mother's gaze with watery hazel eyes.

"Anything," Judy repeated with a nod and a bit of a watery smile.

"I have feelings for her," Quinn blurted out. "I have feelings for Rachel Berry and I want to date her and kiss her and I don't want to go to hell for it. And Santana tells me that God would never send me to hell for loving another person but I can't get daddy's voice out of my head and it would kill me if you hated me for it. Please don't hate me for this."

Judy stood up and moved to her daughter's side, pulling her up from her chair.

_This is it_, Quinn thought. _She's kicking me out again_.

To her shock, Judy pulled her into a tight embrace and held her close, rocking her until Quinn realized that she wasn't being kicked out and she burst into tears.

"Oh, honey, it's okay," Judy cooed softly as she rocked Quinn gently. "It sounds like Santana is much smarter than I ever gave her credit for."

"Mommy, please tell me you don't hate me," Quinn begged softly, her voice thick with tears.

"I could never hate you, sweetie," Judy told her firmly. She held Quinn at arms length for a moment and swiped gently at her tears. "Your father may not have shown much compassion or acceptance and to keep him placated I may have been too similar, but things are different now. It's you and me and I love you no matter what."

"Really?" Quinn asked, desperate for that to be the truth.

"Of course," Judy told her softly, pulling her back into a warm hug.

Quinn sighed with relief and leaned into her mother farther. She suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted and she could breathe a little easier.

"So when can I meet her?" Judy asked suddenly as she stepped back and took the seat next to Quinn's at the table.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You want to meet her? You know Rachel."

"I know of Rachel," Judy corrected with a smile. "Invite her over one night this week and we can have dinner. Just the three of us."

"That sounds awesome, Mom," Quinn told her with a grin. "How about tonight? Can we have dinner just the two of us?"

Judy smiled and nodded. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea."

As she watched her mother begin to bustle around the kitchen Quinn sent a quick text to Rachel.

_Not sure I've ever been this happy b4 and you're such a big part of that. Can't wait to see u tomorrow at school. I'll call you later._

_Q_

**XX**

Santana stepped from her car and jogged through the rain after school, which had grown steadily worse as the day wore on and she ducked under the front porch and knocked on the front door.

Rachel opened the door a moment later, looking surprised to see Santana standing there drenched.

"Santana," she breathed, reaching out to grab her wrist and pull her inside. "Come in, you'll catch the flu out there."

"Hey," Santana greeted with a smile. "Sorry to just drop by. I just wanted to see you."

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked. "Come in and I'll get you a towel."

"Everything's fine," Santana noted as she followed Rachel up the stairs and into her bedroom. "I was just kind of hoping we could talk."

Rachel nodded as she handed a large, fluffy towel over to the other girl and took a seat on her bed. "Sure." She watched as Santana began to pace the floor in front of her, obviously conflicted about something.

"I know that I was terrible to you for a long time," Santana started softly. "But to be honest I'm not really that nice to anyone. Except maybe Brit. I'm even a bitch to Q and we've been best friends since first grade." She paused and met Rachel's gaze. "My point is I'm sorry."

Rachel smiled a little. "Thank you. Your apology means a lot."

"And I know that you and Finn just broke up, but I feel like I need to be honest about something," Santana told her.

"Okay," Rachel told her.

Instead of answering, Santana leaned forward and pressed her lips to Rachel's. She felt the other girl stiffen for a moment before melting into the kiss. Santana's hands lifted to cup Rachel's face gently as she followed her kiss up with several small pecks to the diva's lips.

Rachel pulled back slowly, a dazed expression on her face and she blinked. "That's what you needed to be honest about?"

Santana nodded and swallowed hard, the kiss affecting her as well. "I like you. And not in a 'let's be best friends' kind of way. Don't get me wrong, I want us to be friends. But I want more than that with you."

"You like me?" Rachel questioned softly, her eyebrows rising. "As in _like me_ like me?"

"As in I want to bring you flowers and write you cheesy notes and take you to dinner as my date," Santana clarified. She knew she was taking a huge risk by laying herself out on the line like this, but she had to make a move to get herself ahead of Quinn.

Little did she know her move was only just pulling her in even with the blonde.

"I want to be the one to make you smile," Santana told her softly.

"Wow," Rachel breathed, a smile quirking her lips and a blush coloring her cheeks. "I'm not sure I know what to say."

"Say yes," Santana told her with a smile.

Rachel's smile faltered a bit at that. "I want to. But it's not that easy."

"Why not?" Santana questioned, her resolve fading by the second and insecurities creeping up inside her. She had to fight the urge to run in that moment.

"Because while I can assure you that your feelings are returned," Rachel started, earning a cautiously relieved grin from Santana, "you should know that I think I have feelings for someone else as well."

"Quinn, right?" Santana asked softly.

Rachel nodded. "The way you two have been competing for me the last few weeks has certainly been chivalrous, and I appreciate the effort both of you are putting in to prove to me that you've changed. But I feel like I owe it to you and to Quinn to explore my feelings for each of you. I hope you can understand that."

Santana nodded rather reluctantly, her gaze on the floor. "I do."

Rachel stood up and approached her. She cupped Santana's chin gently and tilted her head up. "Chin up, Santana. Look at me." She waited until dark eyes met hers and she smiled. "The last few weeks have shown me that you're a really amazing person under the façade you put up at school. I care about you and I really like you."

"Really?" Santana asked softly, unable to shake the feeling that she was being left in the dust by Quinn and Rachel.

Rachel nodded, leaning up to kiss the other girl softly. "Really." Her phone suddenly chirped and she read a text from Quinn, missing the jealous flash in Santana's eyes as she typed back a quick response.

"I feel like I should warn you, Quinn and I have never been very good at sharing," Santana told her, mirth shining in her eyes.

Rachel's nose scrunched up a bit at that, but she was smiling. "I'm not sure I like to think of myself as being shared."

"Well, until you pick one of us to date, that's kind of what's going on here, baby girl," Santana pointed out with a smirk.

"Do I have to choose?" Rachel asked as if the realization of what was really going on finally dawned on her and she realized that she was going to have to consider the feelings of two people that had become important to her over the last few weeks. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Rachel, I care about you," Santana said softly, almost as if she was afraid her words would somehow make Rachel disappear from the spot in front of her. "And Quinn has been my bestie since forever. But someone will probably end up hurt either way." At that Rachel looked even more troubled so Santana kissed her quickly. "Look, try not to think about it. Just go with it."

"But, Santana, I'm no-," Rachel was cut off by another kiss. This one was different than the others they'd shared. It was slow and deliberate. She suddenly felt two hands slide around her waist and her hands rose seemingly on their own accord to snake around Santana's neck as the Latina deepened the kiss.

Rachel felt her stomach flip-flop and her heart flutter in her chest when Santana pulled her closer and suddenly backed her up so she was pressed against the wall gently. A sigh escaped her lips as Santana's lips suddenly began making their way to her neck and she felt her eyes roll back in her head at the feel of those lips on her skin.

The sound of someone clearing their throat nearby made them both jump. Their eyes landed on Leroy leaning in the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hi, girls," he greeted, a teasing smile on his lips.

"Dad, this isn't what it looks like," Rachel started. When two sets of eyes landed on her she sighed. "Well, actually it's exactly what it looks like."

Santana grinned and approached him with her hand extended. "Hey, Mr. B, I'm Santana Lopez."

Leroy smirked and shook her hand. "Hi, Santana. It's nice to finally meet you." He glanced between the two girls. "Sorry for interrupting. There was a sweet little sports car in the driveway and I had to find out who it belonged to and I found it was entirely too quiet in the house for Rachel to be home so I thought something was wrong."

"Nope, I just discovered a really good way to keep her quiet," Santana replied with a wink in Rachel's direction to let her know she was kidding, earning herself a playful slap to the shoulder.

Leroy watched with rapt fascination as his daughter blushed and smiled rather lovingly at Santana. In that moment he realized that his little girl actually had feelings for the girl that had gone from tormentor to friend in a matter of a few short weeks. "It's clear to me that there's something going on here. Care to explain?"

"Dad," Rachel began. "Santana and I have feelings for each other and as it is customary once feelings are revealed we are going to begin dating to explore those feelings."

When Leroy set his gaze on Santana she smiled a cheeky smile and pointed to Rachel. "What she said."

He smirked. Despite what he'd heard about Santana Lopez, he could tell she was one hell of a charmer. He set his gaze on his daughter. "Well if that's the case, Santana, you'll be joining us for dinner tonight if you're free. And same rules apply as they did with Jesse and Finn and that Puckerman boy." He made a face that let them know exactly what he thought of Puck. "Open door policy and all that."

"Fine, Dad," Rachel relented with a teasing smile.

When Leroy looked her way Santana sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine, Dad." Both Rachel and her father laughed at that.

"Good," he said with a nod. "Now about that car…"

"320 horsies in that baby," Santana grinned as she pulled the keys from her pocket. "Want to take her for a spin?"

He raised a brow. "Are you serious?"

She flipped him the keys and nodded. "Of course."

He looked from the girls to the keys in his pocket and back to the girls, pointing at them both. "Open door. I'll be back." He took off down the hall. "Thanks, Santana!"

Santana grinned when Rachel giggled next to her. "Your dad is cool."

Rachel nodded. "Daddy won't be so easy to win over. He's not quite as impressed with Porsches."

Santana shrugged. "Then I'll just have to turn up the charm a little." As soon as she heard the door slam downstairs she pulled Rachel into her again. "But until then…"

Rachel's giggles turned to sighs as they fluttered to Santana's ears and the sounds of the steady rain outside had her feeling more at peace than she'd felt in a really long time.

**XX**

**A.N. ** Thank you all for reading. More to follow at some point…promise.


	26. Chapter 26

A.N. Well I will admit this isn't really my finest work…it feels like filler to me but perhaps it's necessary to get to the next part of the story. Or perhaps it's just my writer's block coming back with a bit of a vengeance.

Also, I've switched us back to Faberry for the time being.

Anyways, hopefully you all enjoy it!

**XX**

"Have you seen Rachel?" Quinn asked Santana the next morning.

Santana met her gaze as she slammed her locker shut. "She had a doctor's appointment this morning before school."

"Is she okay?" Quinn asked, concern coloring her tone.

Santana nodded. "Just a check up. She said she coughed three times yesterday so wants to be sure she isn't coming down with something." At Quinn's expression she shrugged. "No lie."

"How do you know all this anyways?" Quinn asked suddenly, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Santana smirked, shrugging one shoulder casually. "I was at her place last night. We made out and had dinner with her dads then made out some more. You know."

"Oh really?" Quinn asked, her arms crossing over her chest.

Santana smirked wider. "Green really isn't your best color, Q."

Quinn clamped down on her jealousy and pulled Santana into an empty classroom. "I told my mom last night."

Santana's eyes got wide as her friend's words sunk in fully. "Holy shit. Did she flip?"

Quinn shook her head, her eyes tearing up instantly. "She was amazing."

Santana grinned and pulled her into a hug. "Told you, Q. You worry too much. Feel better?" Quinn nodded. "Cool. I need you to be on top of your game here. I can't win Rachel with you being all mopey and shit. Then it'll seem like I won on a technicality or whatever."

"You're not winning her," Quinn replied with a teasing glare. "I'm totally going to sweep her off her feet and you'll be left eating our dust."

"You wish, Blondie," Santana argued back. She slid her arm through Quinn's. "Come on. Rachel should be here any minute."

"How are things between you two?" Quinn wondered cautiously. On one hand she really wanted to know what she was up against, but she had just heard Santana say that the two of them made out the night before so it was obvious that they were still on even ground.

Santana suddenly got this funny little look on her face and she shrugged. "Things are good."

Quinn couldn't help but worry just a little at the lack of information Santana was providing her, knowing it meant the other girl had really stepped up her game. She was distracted, however, when she glanced up and found Rachel heading their way.

She felt Santana pull her to a stop and the two of them waited for the diva to meet them.

"Good morning!" Rachel greeted cheerily.

Quinn grinned. "Morning, Rach."

"Hey, baby girl," Santana greeted. She released Quinn's arm and took a step towards Rachel, her hands moving to cup the diva's face to kiss her. Rachel's eyes went wide when she realized what Santana was doing and she took a panicked step backwards, frantically searching the hall around them, breathing a sigh of relief when Finn was nowhere to be seen.

"Um, what the hell?" Santana wondered angrily, a wounded look in her eye. She felt a wave of insecurity wash over her in that instant.

"Santana," Rachel said, reaching forward for the Latina's hands, only to have them yanked out of her grip. "I'm sorry. Can we please talk privately for a moment?"

Santana shook her head. "I get it. Whatever. You don't want anyone to know you're dating the school slut. Say no more. Later." With that she turned and stalked down the hall towards her first class.

Quinn watched her go for a moment before settling her gaze on the suddenly troubled diva before her. "Well, I think it's safe to assume you two shared your feelings?"

Rachel nodded absently, her gaze still down the hall where the other cheerleader had disappeared. "I know this probably isn't an ideal situation for you or Santana."

"Did you maybe forget to have that little chat with her about keeping things hush-hush at school until you can break it to Finn?" Quinn wondered, a teasing smile on her face.

At that Rachel looked guilty. "I may have forgotten to mention it. Santana kept me rather distracted."

A hot wave of jealousy swept through Quinn in that moment, knowing exactly what had kept the two of them so busy the night before. She knew that once things got to this point in their relationship that Santana would have the edge over her. Santana was experienced with girls and Quinn had absolutely zero game. It made her really nervous.

Quinn reached out and grasped Rachel's hand, smiling when surprised eyes met hers. "Friends can hold hands, Rachel."

"O-of course," Rachel stuttered with a smile, loving the way Quinn's hand fit into hers and how soft her hands were. She was so used to giant, calloused hands swallowing hers whole.

With her free hand, Quinn grabbed Rachel's books and pulled her down the hall towards her first class. She could tell the diva was still distracted. "How was the doctor this morning?"

"Wonderful," Rachel replied, perking up instantly. "I coughed three times yesterday so I had to be sure everything was alright. You can never be too careful. Especially since you were so ill and then Mr. Schue and Principal Figgins a few weeks ago."

"The monkey flu is no joke," Quinn agreed. She suddenly remembered something and pulled Rachel into the empty choir room. "I almost forgot to tell you. I told my mom last night and she was completely awesome."

Rachel's eyes got wide and she grinned, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. "I am so happy for you! And so proud of you. That couldn't have been easy for you."

"If my father catches wind of this, he'll probably kill me, but mom was awesome," Quinn replied with a bit of a grin. She noticed the diva's face fall and she pulled her into a tight hug. "Rachel, I'm kidding. Mostly. Relax, this is a good thing."

"You're right," Rachel agreed, still looking unconvinced.

"So you're okay?"

Rachel nodded quietly and remained silent until they reached Rachel's first class. "Thank you for walking me and carrying my books, Quinn."

"Anytime, sweetie," Quinn told her with a grin. "I'll see you later, okay?" Rachel nodded again and disappeared into her class and Quinn sighed heavily. She had a feeling that things were going to get much more complicated as more time passed but she had already decided that Rachel was well worth it.

**XX**

Rachel had decided by lunch that Santana was a ninja.

She had searched the school high and low for the other girl but she was nowhere to be found. She'd sent text messages and left voicemails for the other girl but had gotten nowhere and her heart had been aching in her chest since that morning.

With a sigh she decided to head to the auditorium with the last twenty minutes of lunch to maybe sing about something if the jazz band or AV kids just happened to be there to spontaneously back her up.

She pulled the heavy door open and walked slowly towards the stage, frowning a bit when she realized it was totally empty. She approached the stage slowly, climbing the steps and moving to center stage. She stood there staring out at the empty seats and she closed her eyes, her mind conjuring up the sounds of applause instantly and it made her smile.

"It's scary how much you belong right there."

The voice made Rachel jump and her eyes snapped open to find Santana seated leaned against a wall backstage, one ankle crossed over the other.

"I've been looking for you all day," Rachel said once her heartbeat slowed to normal pace.

One slim shoulder rose and fell in a casual shrug. "I've been around."

A sad sigh escaped Rachel's lips as she approached the other brunette and she took a seat next to her. "Santana, please let me explain." When her only response was another shrug, Rachel continued. "The situation we find ourselves in is a little more complicated than I had anticipated it might be."

"Why?" Santana interjected, unable to help herself. "I like you, Rachel. You like me. What's the problem?"

"Finn."

"Damn ogre." Santana rolled her eyes, her lips turning into a pout that Rachel found rather adorable. "Of course he would continue to salt my damn game even after he's out of the picture."

Rachel bit back her smile. "Glee club is the only reason I care, and I hope you believe that. If he quits we won't have enough members and our competition status will be in question for the rest of the year and I don't know about you, but I was really looking forward to Nationals in New York."

"You're not seriously suggesting we keep things on the DL until New York, are you?" Santana asked, looking annoyed suddenly.

Rachel shook her head. "Of course not. I just want to give him some time to process our break up before I throw my new relationships in his face." She reached out and grasped Santana's hand, stroking her thumb over the back of the Latina's hand. "I would never hide something like this under normal circumstances."

Santana nodded. "Next time fill me in _before_ I make an idiot of myself though."

"I'm sorry," Rachel gushed suddenly, leaning into the taller girl. "Please forgive me. I would have told you last night, but you kept me rather distracted. Finn was the farthest thing from my thoughts."

Santana suddenly smirked. "What can I say? I gots game."

Rachel giggled and leaned over to press her lips to Santana's cheek. "Forgive me?"

Santana nodded, glancing around quickly, kissing Rachel gently. "Of course."

**XX**

"I'm worried about Kurt," Rachel said with a sigh as she looked up from her homework. She was perched on the floor next to her bed, leaning against it with her books in her lap.

Quinn, who was lying on her stomach across the bed, paused from idly playing with Rachel's hair. "What do you mean?"

Rachel's bottom lip slid between her teeth and one slim shoulder rose in a half-shrug. "I think the situation with Karofsky keeps getting worse. He's losing weight and not in a good way. Plus he's not even fighting me for solos anymore."

Quinn gave that some thought. "Should we talk to him?"

"Honestly?" Rachel said. "I kind of think it's past that point already."

"I know that face," Quinn replied with a bit of a smile as she folded her arms in front of her and rested her head against her arms so she could watch Rachel as the diva seemed to be formulating a plan.

"It's my planning face," Rachel agreed absently.

"Scheming face is more like it," Quinn teased, smiling even wider when Rachel appeared to ignore her comment off in her own world.

"What if we got the guys on the football team to talk to Karofsky?" Rachel suggested. "Maybe if we present a united front against him he'll know that if he messes with Kurt he messes with all of us."

"You think the guys will go for it?" Quinn asked, her hand sneaking out to play with a curl in Rachel's hair once more.

Rachel met her gaze, a soft smile at the blonde resuming her action, and nodded. "I know Finn and Sam haven't really been speaking to either of us lately, but if we make it clear that this is for Kurt and the team they can't really say no."

Quinn nodded. "I'll send everyone a text to meet us before school in the morning and we can talk to them then."

"Perfect," Rachel agreed. She watched Quinn type away on the tiny keyboard on her phone and she smiled, knowing she was smitten with the blonde lounging across her bed. The way Quinn's tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth in concentration made Rachel smile a bit more deviously and she shucked her books to the floor and moved to occupy the space on the bed beside the blonde.

Quinn smiled and turned her head, only to be greeted with a soft pair of lips. "Hi."

Rachel grinned. "Hi."

A moment later Quinn was distracted as text messages from the rest of the glee club started coming in and Rachel used the distraction to her advantage. She brushed some of Quinn's hair from her neck and leaned forward, barely grazing the warm skin there with the tip of her nose.

She heard the blonde suck in a sharp breath and grew bolder. She tilted her face enough to press her lips to the delicate skin below Quinn's ear, smiling when she heard a soft gasp.

Before she could even register what was happening Quinn reached out and had Rachel flipped on her back, hovering over her with a smirk. "I knew Sue's workouts would come in handy one day."

Rachel smiled and reached out to thread her fingers through the blonde locks falling around them in a curtain and she pulled the blonde's head closer so their lips finally met. At first their kisses were slow and gentle. They were both new to this and the sensation of kissing another girl was still fresh and exciting. It was soft and sweet.

A soft swipe of Quinn's tongue was enough for Rachel to part her lips to let their tongues meet and dance to a rhythm unknown. Rachel allowed her free hand to fist in the material of Quinn's tee shirt at the small of her back while the other kept a tight hold on her head.

Quinn's left arm kept her steady and secure on top of the diva below her and her right hand suddenly seemed to be moving on its own accord. It started at Rachel's waist. She could feel the diva's protruding hipbone through the material of her skirt and she decided to let her hand wander just a bit. She allowed her fingertips to dance up Rachel's side, earning a giggle against her lips. As they skimmed the side of her breast Quinn heard a gasp and she kept them moving, not wanting to push things too far. She let her hand continue down Rachel's arm, the pads of her fingers ghosting over sensitive skin of the inside of her wrist before starting the pattern all over again.

Rachel released the material of Quinn's tee shirt and her hand moved lower to move the material enough to let her fingers play upon the silky skin of the blonde's lower back. A content sigh from the body above hers told her that what she was doing was good so she let her fingers dance across that skin for a few moments before splaying flat against Quinn's body, keeping her as close as possible.

"God, Rach," Quinn breathed softly, kissing the diva deeply again.

"My thoughts exactly," Rachel agreed, their breathing suddenly picking up slightly as they realized they were on the same page.

A door slamming from downstairs jolted them from their cocoon of intimacy and they jumped apart, both swiping at their hair and straightening their clothes. Rachel slid back to the floor and pulled her books back into her lap when she heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later there was a knock on the door that was cracked (as per the rules).

"Rachel?" Hiram called through the crack.

"Come in, Daddy," Rachel said, tossing a smirk over her shoulder at the blonde.

Hiram stepped into the room and looked around like he was expecting something to be out of place. "Hi, girls."

"Hi, Mr. B," Quinn greeted with a winning smile.

"Hi, Daddy," Rachel replied with a smile of her own.

"How was school?" Hiram asked, leaning in the doorframe.

"Wonderful," Rachel replied.

"Wonderful?" Hiram asked, looking skeptical. He set his gaze on Quinn, mirth shining in his eyes. "How on Earth was a day in high school wonderful?"

Quinn smiled back. "It was wonderful for us."

Rachel's smile faltered at that, realizing as wonderful as her day had been it had been equally bad for her friend, and Hiram noticed immediately. "What's wrong, honey?"

Rachel glanced at Quinn, who gave her a little nod and Rachel faced her father once more. "There's a boy in our glee club and he's been having trouble with a bully at school."

"What kind of trouble?" Hiram asked.

"He's being bullied because he's gay," Quinn told him when Rachel appeared to be at a loss for words, knowing the truth would probably hurt her father. "And we're tired of it so we came up with a plan to see if we can get the bully to stop."

Hiram gazed at her for a few silent moments and his face shifted, softening slightly towards the blonde he had never really cared for. "What's your plan?"

"We're going to get the guys in the glee club who are on the football team to stand up to him," Rachel told him with a nod. "We think presenting a united front will deter David from behaving like this in the future."

"And if that doesn't work I'll make sure he never gets a date again," Quinn added with a grin.

Hiram and Rachel both laughed at that and the girls exchanged a surprised look at his laughter. He gave them both a nod. "Well I'm going to get dinner started. If you two need anything or if your Dad and I can help in any way let us know."

"Thanks, Daddy," Rachel beamed.

"Thank you," Quinn agreed.

"Quinn, you'll be staying for dinner, right?" he asked.

Quinn nodded, obviously surprised. "I'd love to."

"Excellent," he replied with a nod. "It's homemade pizza night. See you girls later."

They both waved as he left the room, pulling the door back so it was barely cracked, a sign that he was comfortable with the two of them being left alone and once Rachel was sure he was out of ear shot she squealed and launched herself into Quinn's arms on the bed once again.

"I think he likes you," Rachel told her with another squeal, planting a kiss to the blonde's cheek.

Quinn grinned, a light blush settling over her cheeks that Rachel found to be absolutely adorable. "I've never really had a dad like me before. Except Santana's."

"This is fantastic," Rachel sighed happily as she pressed her lips to Quinn's gently.

"It is," Quinn agreed. She dropped a tender kiss to Rachel's lips and then another. And another.

Needless to say the girls were distracted until dinnertime.

**XX**

**A.N. ** Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Up next we should have a bit of a confrontation with Karofsky…though it's not exactly what you might have in mind. Also dinner with the girls and Rachel's dads so stay tuned!


	27. Chapter 27

A.N. Many thanks to those of you that have reviewed this story! As promised this section includes a confrontation (of sorts) with Karofsky, dinner with the dads and some RQS interaction at the end.

Since this one is a bit more R/S I've switched us back to that pairing for now.

Enjoy!

**XX**

"Well, what do we have here?" a male voice called out from behind Rachel.

She turned and rolled her eyes when she found Karofsky standing in the doorway to the choir room. "You must be lost." She made a shooing motion with her hands. "Run along before you catch gay from being in the choir room for too long."

He glared at her, stalking towards her in a few thundering steps, getting right in her face. "If I were you, I'd shut that mouth of yours unless you want to put it to good use." He grabbed his crotch.

"You're disgusting," she told him with a roll of her eyes. She sidestepped him and began to gather her papers from the piano top.

"Funny how your two bodyguards left you all alone in here," he said, the edge on his voice suddenly growing hollow. It chilled Rachel to the bone.

Her heart began beating faster as she began to formulate any kind of plan to get out of the room and to safety.

Suddenly there was a weight settled against her back and she turned instantly trying to push him away. "Do you mind? It's called personal space." She tried to maneuver around his hulking frame, but he reached out and grabbed her wrists.

He ducked his head to meet her gaze, smirking at how she struggled against him. "Which one of them are you fucking?"

"Excuse me?" she demanded, her bravery suddenly returning.

He cocked his head to the side, licking his lips as he grinded against her slightly, grinning when she whimpered a little. "Quinn and Lopez have you wrapped up like Fort Knox. Nobody can touch you. Why is that?"

"Because we're friends," Rachel spat.

He laughed and squeezed her wrists hard enough to make her wince. "You wish. You're just the only one in this school they haven't fucked. They trying to get in your pants?" He leaned forward, pressing his pelvis into her body and she shuddered when she felt his erection against her leg.

Rachel's face darkened. "Don't you dare talk about them like that."

"Or what?" he sneered in her face. "Freak."

Rachel felt her anger swell up inside her and before she could even register her actions she was slapping him across the face.

His face suddenly turned purple. "You bitch!" he bellowed, spittle spraying from his mouth as he grabbed her arms.

"What the _hell_ is going on in here?"

The booming voice sent chills down Karofsky's spine and caused him to still his actions. He'd just been caught and knew there would be hell to pay now.

Rachel felt the relief like a hot shower on a snowy day, sweeping over her from head to toe. She had never been so glad to see Santana entering the choir room.

"We were just talking," Karofsky dismissed, releasing Rachel's arms and backing up a few steps.

She moved forward slowly, her movements calculated and fluid and it reminded Rachel of a panther stalking its prey. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped into his personal space, making sure to put herself between him and Rachel. "Talking, huh?"

He nodded furiously, swallowing hard. "Yeah. Talking." A moment later he was squealing as she grabbed his crotch and squeezed.

Hard.

"Why the hell would you have a boner if you were just talking, Dave?" she asked, leaning in closer to him and twisting.

He whimpered this time and the sound was more satisfying than Rachel cared to admit even to herself. Beads of sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead and he shook his head furiously. "I'm s-sorry."

She squeezed again, smirking when his eyes clamped shut. "Sorry for what?"

"I just…" He was breathing hard and he squealed again when she twisted.

"Just what?" she demanded. "Tell me or I'll twist them right off."

"I just…wanted to know…why you're all over…her suddenly…" He crumpled to the floor and writhed in pain when she released him. "You bitch!"  
She laughed out loud and crouched down next to him. "Listen up, Davey, cause I'm only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from Rachel. If I find out you so much as _breathe_ in her direction I'll make this seem like foreplay. Got it?"

He glared for all he was worth but finally nodded, pulling himself to his feet and limping out of the room.

Santana watched him until he was gone and she turned to Rachel, who was slumped against the piano, rubbing her wrists. "Are you okay?"

Rachel met her gaze, tears shining in her eyes and her chin quivered. "I…"

"Come here," Santana coaxed gently as she stepped forward and pulled Rachel into her arms. It seemed that was all Rachel needed before the dam broke and the tears fell harder. She could feel the smaller girl trembling in her arms and she ran a gentle hand over her hair before pressing a kiss to the diva's temple. "Easy, Rach. You're okay."

"Hey guys…" Quinn's voice trailed off when she took in the scene before her. She could see Rachel shaking from her spot in the doorway and she was clinging to Santana like her life depended on it. "What's going on?"

Santana released Rachel when she felt the other girl pulling away from her and they both faced Quinn. Santana kept an arm wrapped securely around the diva next to her, suppressing too many murderous urges with every shudder that passed through Rachel's body next to her.

"Karofsky," Santana mumbled simply.

Quinn frowned and moved closer to the two of them. Her jaw clenched when she saw the angry red marks circling Rachel's wrists. "Do we need to kill him?"

Santana considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "If he even looks at her again, maybe. I think I made things very clear to him." She huffed a sigh. "He really doesn't want me to go all Lima Heights."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "You're so full of it."

Even Rachel managed to quirk a bit of a smile but she sighed heavily.

"Come on, baby girl, we'll take you home," Santana said softly. She slid an arm around Rachel's shoulders, smiling when she felt the diva's arm slide around her waist. Quinn looped her arm through Rachel's and the three of them made their way out to the parking lot.

"What did he say to you?" Santana asked. She needed every detail so she could decide just how much pain he needed to feel next time she saw him.

Rachel shook her head, a shiver passing through her body. "He said you two have me wrapped up tighter than Fort Knox and he wanted to know why. He thinks you're trying to sleep with me."

"That stupid oaf, he would think that," Santana sighed.

"Why would he think that?" Quinn asked her.

Santana raised a brow. "Because he's a guy and all they think about is sex. If it doesn't come down to sex they can't figure out what anything is about."

Quinn pondered this for a moment until she caught sight of someone leaning against Santana's car. "San."

Santana followed her line of sight until her gaze settled on the woman standing in the lot at her car. "Shit."

"Who is that?" Rachel wondered.

Santana's eyes closed and she stopped walking, pulling the other two to a stop as well. She met Quinn's eyes. "Take her home and I'll catch up with you guys there." Without so much as another word she made her way to the figure in the distance.

"Who is that?" Rachel asked again.

"Santana's mom," Quinn replied, her gaze settled on the two women. Santana kept her distance as the two of them began to talk, her arms crossed over her chest and Quinn could see it could get rather ugly so she urged Rachel along again. "Come on."

**XX**

Quinn escorted a still shaken Rachel into her house and closed and locked the front door.

"Rachel, is that you, honey?" Leroy called from the kitchen.

"It's me, Dad," she called back.

"Come on, sweetie," Quinn urged gently, pulling Rachel into the kitchen slowly.

Leroy grinned when he heard the girls enter the kitchen. He had a small radio playing in the background, a wooden spoon in one hand and an apron on that read 'kiss the chef'. "Hi, girls. How was school? What's wrong?" he asked suddenly when he realized Rachel was not acting like herself.

Quinn frowned. "The guy who has been bullying our friend Kurt went after Rachel today."

"What?" Leroy's entire demeanor changed in that instant. He was suddenly still and the energy in the room darkened. "Tell me exactly what happened." He shucked his spoon and apron, snapping the radio off in an instant. He guided Rachel to a chair around the table and sat down next to her.

Rachel shook her head. "It was really nothing. He just doesn't understand why Quinn and Santana have been looking out for me at school. He was just trying to scare me."

"He's just pissed he can't pick on you anymore," Quinn sighed, her eyes narrowing as she thought of the many ways to torture a teenage boy. She ran a gentle hand over Rachel's hair.

"Rachel," Leroy started, waiting until chocolate eyes met his. "Do I need to go see your Principal?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, Dad. Like Quinn said, she and Santana have taken away one of his prime targets for slushies and name-calling. He's mad that he can't get away with it anymore and wanted to scare me." She suddenly smiled. "Santana gave him a taste of his own medicine though."

"Did she hurt him?" Leroy asked, torn between not wanting harm to come to anyone, but knowing the boy was picking on his daughter.

"No," Quinn answered. "But she will if he doesn't leave Rachel alone."

Leroy studied her for a moment and smiled. "I don't know why or what it is about you two girls, but I feel so much better knowing you have Rachel's back at school."

"We do," Quinn agreed.

"Hello!" a voice rang out from the front door. A moment later Hiram appeared in the kitchen. "Look who I found outside."

Rachel and Quinn had been expecting Santana. Needless to say they were shocked when Finn appeared behind Rachel's father. Their faces darkened and Leroy noticed immediately, but Hiram seemed blissfully unaware of it as he ushered the boy into the room.

"Hi," Finn greeted awkwardly with a wave.

"What are you doing here, Finn?" Rachel questioned darkly.

He shrugged. "I haven't seen your dads lately so I wanted to stop by." He shot Quinn what she thought was a haughty smile and it made her blood boil.

"Well, thank you for stopping by," Rachel mumbled with a grin. "But as you can see we're about to have dinner so we'll see you tomorrow."

Then it was Quinn's turn to smile triumphantly in Finn's direction.

"Oh come on, Rach," Finn coaxed, the sugar that was coating his voice made Quinn's stomach turn. "You know I missed your Dad's cooking. It's been forever. You really want to kick me out?"

"If she can't, I'm capable," Quinn practically growled as she stepped forward.

The doorbell cut through the tension and Rachel brushed by Finn on her way to the door. She pulled it open to find Santana on the other side. She frowned when she noticed the other girl's red-rimmed eyes and red nose, proof that she'd been crying.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked softly, reaching out to pull Santana into her arms. She felt Santana nod against her shoulder and she squeezed the Latina tightly before pulling back, her hands remaining on the other girl's shoulders to keep her close. "I want to hear everything, but you should know that Finn is here and he's brown nosing my fathers into staying for dinner."

Santana let out a rather defeated sigh, her eyes tearing up again slightly. She bit her lip and shook her head. Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled a deep breath, pressing the heels of her hands into her cheeks below her eyes. "Maybe I should go."

"Please stay," Rachel requested softly, reaching a hand out to grasp Santana's. "I really need you and Quinn here for this. And something tells me you need us just as close."

Santana nodded, a strange sensation washing over her when she realized that someone really, truly knew her. "Okay."

Rachel leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Santana's cheek. "Thank you. I owe you."

At that Santana smirked. "I'll keep that in mind, baby girl."

Rachel smiled as well and pulled her towards the kitchen. The tension in the room suddenly increased as Santana glared at Finn, who glared at Quinn, who glared right back at him.

"Frankenteen," Santana greeted coldly.

His eyes narrowed. "Satan," he replied, his tone just as icy.

"Won't this be nice," Hiram mumbled as he exchanged a look with Leroy across the kitchen.

**XX**

The six of them sat around the table silently. It was a very uncomfortable silence and it made Rachel squirm in her seat. Quinn caught Santana's eye across the table. "Say something," the blonde mouthed silently to her.

Santana shook her head subtly. "You say something," she mouthed back. When Hiram's eyes landed on her she gave him a wide, tense smile, which was sort of returned. He certainly hadn't warmed to her any.

"So, Quinn, you're head cheerleader?" Hiram asked. He had actually grown rather fond of the blonde girl.

Quinn nodded, a small smile quirking her lips when Santana rolled her eyes. "When Coach put me back on the squad she made me captain again."

"Yeah because Santana got a boob job," Finn sneered across the table.

"Finn!" Quinn exclaimed, shocked that he would say something like that at the dinner table.

"What?" he replied, venom coloring the tone of his voice. "It's true."

Santana opened her mouth to retort, but she remembered where she was so she settled for glaring at his smug smile across the table.

"Finn, it's very rude for you to divulge personal information about Santana in mixed company," Rachel pointed out with a glare of her own.

"Rach, your dad is sitting right there," Finn pointed out, thinking Rachel had been talking about her fathers' differing races.

Santana snorted, unable to help the giggle that escaped her lips when she caught Quinn's look across the table, causing Finn to glance around and realize he'd once again missed the joke.

"So," Leroy piped up, wondering why they had invited the teenage boy who was suddenly making the air at the table so tense. "Santana, Rachel told me you're one of the best dancers in glee club. Have you been taking lessons or was it something you just picked up?"

Santana blushed under the scrutiny of the table and she shrugged. "My best friend, Brittany is the real dancer. I've known her all my life so she's always taught me everything she knew. I guess I'm just a quick study."

"Best friend?" Finn sneered. "Is that what you call someone you have 'benefits' with?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Please suppress the urge to act like a twelve year old girl, Finnocence, with the air quotes you just used."

Leroy smirked at her comeback, hiding it when Hiram shot a worried look his way.

"You need to suppress the urge to act like a total bitch," Finn shot back.

There was a second of silence before three people shot to their feet, each of them talking over the other.

"Finn!" That was Quinn. She looked rather disgusted with him.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you do not speak to women like that! Not in this house!" That was Leroy.

"That's it! Get out!" That was Rachel.

"What?" Finn questioned, looking rather intimidated for the first time since stepping foot in the house.

"Alright, let's all take a breath," Hiram requested. "Finn, I know you didn't mean that."

"Actually I did," Finn told them all, standing. "Quinn and Santana are manipulators and somehow they have Rachel, like, under their spell or whatever. They don't deserve her!"

"Finn, I think it's time for you to leave," Leroy suggested softly.

"But, Mr. Berry-,"

"You need to do some growing," Leroy told him. "And you really need to accept the fact that Rachel is friends with Santana and Quinn now. And if you ever use the B word to describe a woman again you won't be welcome in our home anymore."

Finn glanced around the table and saw every person at the table watching him with varying levels of disdain and he stood up slowly with a nod. "I'll leave."

Leroy slid an arm around his shoulders and escorted him to the door, talking quietly to him the entire way. When he returned he clapped his hands together once. "Anyone for dessert?"

The girls seemed to snap out of it and they all smiled awkwardly.

**XX**

An hour later the three girls were entering Rachel's room. Santana immediately flopped down on her back on the bed, shooting a smirk in Quinn's direction as the blonde took a seat at Rachel's desk. Rachel slid up on the end of the bed so she was situated quite literally between the two girls in her room.

"Think we can win Nationals without Finn?" Santana pondered quietly from her spot on the bed where she most certainly wasn't turning her head to the side to inhale the essence of Rachel suddenly overwhelming her from the pillow beneath her head.

"No," Rachel answered as Quinn said, "Yes."

Santana smirked. "We could find a twelfth easy. Besides I think Wheels and Puckerman can sing just as well as the meathead can, if not better."

Rachel shook her head. "When I scared Sunshine away I gave Vocal Adrenaline another piece of ammunition that they most certainly don't need. We need every ounce of talent we can get. Someone simply swaying in the background will not help us in any way."

"Okay, set Nationals aside for a minute and focus on what else we would gain if Finn wasn't in the group anymore," Quinn suggested. "We could be ourselves. We can hug each other and kiss each other and hold hands and not hide who we are and how we feel."

"Two for the blonde," Santana agreed in her own way.

"That's two more than you have," Quinn teased back with a playful smirk.

"You wish," Santana answered with a smirk of her own.

Rachel sat pensively for a moment before shaking her head. "I think we should put a pin in this discussion for now. It makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it."

Santana poked Rachel's thigh with her toe until those mocha eyes met hers. "I get it, baby girl, but we can't hide this from him forever."

"Two for her," Quinn agreed with a nod of her head in Santana's direction.

Rachel nodded finally. "You're right. Both of you. But can we wait to tell him until after Regionals?"

Santana and Quinn exchanged a glance and both gave a short nod of acquiescence.

"Fine," Santana agreed. "We win and give him the news. Then he either mans up or gets the hell out before Nationals."

"It's only a few more weeks," Quinn replied with another nod. "Though if tonight is any indication of what we're in for it won't really matter how much time he has to get used to it." Her cell phone suddenly chirped in her lap and she glanced down to read a quick text from her mother. "Mom's home for a few days. She wants me home." She glanced up at Rachel and smiled lovingly. "Can I take you out Friday night?"

Rachel beamed and nodded, her eyes following every one of the blonde's movements as she stood and gathered her things. "Of course."

Quinn grinned and leaned over to drop a quick kiss to the diva's lips, ignoring the dramatic sigh coming from her best friend. She gazed at Rachel tenderly as she pulled back and cupped her face with one hand. "Night, sweetie. I'll call you later."

"Night," Rachel answered with a bashful smile.

Quinn passed Santana and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Call me later?"

Santana agreed with a nod. "Later."

Quinn gave her a quick, but pointed look and smiled at them both once more before heading out of the bedroom.

Rachel was silent for a moment as she listened to the sounds of Quinn saying goodbye to her fathers and when the front door shut she stood from the bed and went to the door, closing it all but a crack. She then made her way to the bed and crawled up its length so she was settled next to Santana.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel asked softly, thinking back to that sad face that greeted her when she opened the door earlier.

Santana shook her head, a sigh dropping from her lips. "Not yet."

Rachel nodded. "You know I'm here."

Santana smiled when the diva suddenly squirmed her way into her arms and she sighed contently as her arms wrapped around the slim frame next to her, loving the way the other girl's arms slipped around her as well. "You okay?"

Rachel nodded against her chest. "Thank you for saving me today."

"I could kill him for that today," Santana mumbled against Rachel's forehead as one hand began idly stroking over her hair. Her jaw clenched when she remembered the look in Rachel's eye when she'd walked into the choir room.

Even when Rachel had been tormented in the worst of ways her eyes never betrayed her. Her resolve refused to let those people see her shaken. Her eyes earlier that day had been swimming with pure fear and it had shaken Santana to her core.

"I think you scared him," Rachel pointed out softly, the tips of her fingers trailing an imaginary pattern on the inside of the taller girl's wrist. "Plus you hurt him. I think he'll keep his distance." The two were quiet for a moment and it was enough for them to hear a light rain falling outside. It was a strange sensation but Rachel swore she felt the body next to hers soften at the sound. "You like the rain."

"I love it," Santana breathed, rolling her eyes at how stupid she was sounding. "Lame I know."

Rachel shook her head as she pulled away a little to gaze up at the other girl, a smile quirking her lips instantly. "It's not. I promise." She was quiet for another long stretch of moments. "So now that we're alone…"

"Mmm," Santana purred suggestively, squeezing the diva a little.

Rachel laughed unabashed at that. "I'm being serious here."

"Me too," Santana mumbled. "Cause, baby, you are a certified hottie and I wants to get all up on that." She winked to let Rachel know she was kidding…mostly.

Rachel felt a strange pull _deep_ in her belly when the word 'baby' reached her ears and she pulled herself up onto her elbow so she could gaze at the other girl. "Not tonight."

One perfectly manicured eyebrow rose in question at that. "Does that mean you'd consider it sometime in the future?"

Rachel smiled, a shrug causing one shoulder to rise up as a blush rose in the diva's cheeks. "I always told Finn I was waiting until I was twenty-five. But part of me feels like I was putting up that barrier because I never felt completely comfortable with him."

After Santana's brain connected the dots she spoke. "Does that mean you feel comfortable with me?"

Rachel stared down at her for a second, a tender sort of smile on her lips. "I know that I can trust you." Her voice was suddenly soft and it washed over Santana, making her stomach twist with an unusual sense of anticipation. "I know that you wouldn't hurt me. Not anymore. And after what happened today I feel safer with you than I've ever felt with anyone."

Santana felt her throat tighten and tears sting the backs of her eyes so she leaned forward, her eyes closing and she pressed her lips to Rachel's in the sweetest, most tender kiss she could muster. She wasn't sure what had come over her in that instant but when she pulled away she knew she had gotten it right. Rachel was staring at her with a mix of awe and sweetness and she could see how much the diva cared about her in that moment and if she'd been standing it would have made her knees weak.

Santana opened her mouth to speak but no sounds came out and she wasn't sure what was coming over her.

Rachel set expectant eyes on her and her gaze softened significantly when she realized the other girl couldn't really find the words. "Are you alright?"

"You…" Santana trailed off when she heard how thick her voice had become with the tears that were threatening. "You mean more to me than I think you'll ever know. More than I could ever say."

Rachel leaned forward to press her lips to Santana's and it was a kiss unlike any other they'd shared. It was as if they both realized how much they cared for one another and they were making a decision to move forward with the knowledge that they both had very real feelings involved.

And for the first time in her life Santana felt connected to another person.

**XX**

A.N. I hope you enjoyed this little section of this story 'o mine. Up next we should see some Puck/San bonding and perhaps a Rach/Quinn date and San coming out to her father. Plus we should get some insight into S's mom and her little visit. Anyways, stay tuned!

Thanks again for reading!


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